Quiet Ice, Silent Nights
by TheLastPilot
Summary: Cat Noir is on a late night run about town when he catches sight of a lone ice skater. To his great amazement it's his classmate, Marinette.
1. Chapter 1

Paris was quiet for the night, trapped in a sleepy chill that seemed to slow everything down. There were cars scattered here and there, perhaps an unlucky pedestrian heading somewhere on a mission one could only hope was good. A few lost souls who couldn't sleep, a few energetic youths who didn't want to. The usual AM traffic. Cat Noir found it interesting to watch, pacing quietly on the rooftops along a particularly well-lit street so he could count the time between cars. One could go as long as fifteen minutes before another car would pass, still following traffic laws like the streets were crowded with others only they could see. Maybe that was just the influence of winter.

Cat Noir had a habit of silence when he was alone, even more so when his mood was as numb as his hands. He liked to think it didn't get to him anymore, but he and his father had both been in town for the past six days and they hadn't seen each other once. Not even in passing, not even from afar. There was no shoots for the time being and Adrien was back in school from winter break so there was no reason for Gabriel to interact with him. He liked to think it didn't bother him, but he also wasn't dumb enough to think that was true. He just preferred not to think of it at all.

Cat Noir tracked the movement of a police cruiser, resetting the timer in his head at zero and numbly counting the time as he continued to move forward, moving to the next building and working through his impromptu patrol.

He took a deep breathe, reminding himself of the claws on his hands and the mask on his face, the thought bringing a subdued smile to his face. For now he wasn't Adrien, at least not the one ignored by his father and stuck alone in an empty house. For now he could enjoy his city, maybe even find some crime to stop before dawn. That was the sort of freedom his ring offered, peace of mind on a quiet night.

He ran, enjoying the freezing sting of the winter night as he did, leaping from one building to the next in an attempt to think of nothing besides the adrenaline. It wasn't a perfect fix but it worked, and if it wasn't almost four AM he might call his lady to join him. Even if it was a reasonable hour it was still fairly likely she would say no but hey, even hearing her say that always made him smile. That was just how she made him feel. No matter how much he might enjoy her voice though he had no intention of waking her up just so he would have company, and he would rather limit her exposure to the cold as much as possible. She had that adorable new spotted coat but still, could never be too careful.

He ran until he needed to catch his breath, pausing on the edge of a rather tall building and listening carefully. Mostly he could hear his own breathing, the few scattered sounds of cars driving by, a TV from one of the rooms below him and…

He stopped. Adrien held his breath, turning to catch the sound and listening to the gaps carefully. There was a short pause then _very quietly_ or rather a loud sound at a great distance he heard something like a crack and slice. He waited, then it was there again, slicing, slicing, silence, then a crack. Curious now he glanced down and immediately understood, a smile forming on his face. It was an ice skating rink, and there was a single performer.

At the Trocadero every year there was set up an outdoor ice skating rink for tourists and citizens alike to enjoy, skating happily with the grand Eiffel tower looming overhead. On either side of the fountains long white tents would be pitched for sales and festivities alike to celebrate the winter season but skating before the tower was the main draw for many. It was very crowded in the day, meant for casual skaters looking to laugh and giggle as they skidded about in a mob of strangers. It was not a time fit for such a performer, and at night the ice was theirs.

And what a performance it was.

Cat Noir leaned forward, gripping the edge of the roof in his claws as he watched, suddenly entranced by the movements of this stranger.

It was a woman. She was graceful and steady, manipulating her momentum effortlessly to glide across the ice. She would turn the blade just so, pushing lightly to glide backwards with complete confidence. Just watching her skate was intriguing enough, the movements so smooth it looked like she was floating. Then however, she danced. A gasp caught in his throat when all at once the woman raised one leg, folding it to her body and leaning forward, letting her weight cast her into a spin before extending her leg again and gliding forward, her arms held aloft like she was about to command a great orchestra. She wore what looked like a thin t-shirt but he couldn't tell at such a distance, too distracted to glance around for a coat or any sign of greater warmth. Perhaps she didn't need it, perhaps she was born for ice, it certainly seemed that way. He watched, looking at the curve and balance of her arms and she danced and flew to a song that did not play, performing for a crowd that did not cheer. It was when she leapt, twisting in the air and landing elegantly with that same audible crack but wavering not even a centimeter from her intended position that he moved.

Cat Noir scrambled down the side of the building, moving quickly until he was at ground level and sprinting in complete silence to come up on the side of the rink, ducking out of sight and peeking through gaps in the guardrail. He wasn't sure why he was hiding but then again he wasn't sure why someone so talented would wait until near dawn to dance. They did not seem to desire an audience, though he couldn't help but feel they deserved one.

He was much closer now, and he could see his assumption was correct. She wore a simple pink t-shirt and plain black sweats, old worn skates on her feet that flashed and shone as she spun again, so quickly and expertly he watched with an open mouth. Her arms reached up like a ballerina as she span, until in a great shower of shaved ice she halted instantly, arms outstretched at her sides, her chest heaving in exertion and a stunning smile on her face.

But it was not the face of a stranger.

He gasped _very_ loud, his lungs filled to bursting with the sudden intake of air as he desperately clamped a clawed hand over his mouth.

His classmate Marinette Dupain-Cheng looked around, instantly alert and every scrap of tempered grace replaced with a taunt readiness.

"Whose there?" she called out, her voice surprisingly intimidating. He hunkered down even further, still reeling from the discovery that the elegant stranger was his _classmate_.

"I heard you I know you're here!" she called out again, and he watched through the cracks as she glided backwards towards a coat slung over the railing on the opposite end.

He watched her, hating the fact that she looked like she was preparing to leave. He didn't want her to leave he wanted to watch her dance again! And _wow_ did that sound weird when he thought it in his head, now he was just grateful that it hadn't slipped out along with the gasp. Holy he- he couldn't get over it. It was **Marinette**! She was _amazing_! She was so- so fantastic! She moved like she had twenty years of experience and she was no older than he was! Had she skated from the womb?

That was a weird mental image. He decided against pursuing that exaggeration any further.

But _still!_ She was fantastic she was so talented! She blossomed and amazed like ink in water, flowing and stretching like she was born to do it. Why did he have to be a fool and ruin it? Why did she have to leave? He wanted her to dance again.

He braved another look when he heard the distinct sound of the blades of her skates against the concrete, looking on with great regret as she quickly unfastened the skate's laces, glancing over her shoulder all the while. She quickly put on regular shoes, grabbing her belongings and casting a final longing look at the ice before she darted away, heading into the city in the direction of her bakery.

Cat Noir groaned, releasing his mouth and sliding down to sit on the ground, hanging his head dramatically. The graceful leaps and strides filled his mind and he leaned his head into one hand, wishing he hadn't been so stunned so that he might have seen more. Instead now he had most likely frightened her and made her feel unsafe, the last thing he had wanted to do. Maybe he should rush after her and tell her it was him who had gasped? Then maybe knowing it was a hero and not a creep she might return. Then again, she had been out on an ice skating rink at almost 4:30 AM the likelihood that she would be pleased to have had an audience at all was slim to none. So what could he do? If he revealed himself she would be mad but if he didn't she might be scared. Glancing over her shoulder, afraid of being followed home in the AM hours. A young girl, fifteen years old, walking home alone in the dark without an escort- what on EARTH was he doing?!

He was on his feet instantly, forgetting about hiding for the moment and looking around for her, panic spiking in his heart when she was nowhere in sight. How fast did she move?! She didn't live anywhere NEAR the Trocadero, what was she thinking being out alone like that at this hour?! It wasn't just heroes who were awake at this time, in fact she was **lucky** it HAD been a hero who had spotted her. Her home was a good walk away anyone could find her in that time. He just had to hope it would be him.

He ran like the wind, clawing up to the rooftops and sprinting for the bakery. He honestly did try and keep from worrying but it was almost impossible she was just so **small**. She might be feisty and brave but bravery didn't mean much if some giant thug pinned you down in an alleyway. He ran so fast, taking short cuts only a hero could and desperately hoping that he had now gotten ahead of her, doubling back now to check all possible routes towards her family's bakery. How could he have possibly lost her she had a minute heads start at the most! He saw a few teenagers who were up to god knows what, a few adults stumbling around after a night of drinking and a few homeless folks, all of which only served to heighten his panic. He kept questioning it again and again, what the hell was she thinking being out this late!?

He saw something then, moving along in the same direction he was. A flash of red.

He sighed out such a sharp sigh of relief he was surprised she hadn't heard, far away though she was. Instead he cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted, "LADYBUG!"

The spotted heroine almost fumbled her jump she was so surprised, skidding to a dangerous stop right at the edge of the rooftop with her yo-yo smacking gracelessly against the side of the building. She huffed, fingers pinching the bridge of her nose as she heard her partner land on the roof besides her. She was more than prepared to tell him off for frightening her, but when she turned to regard him her hand dropped, taking in how _frazzled_ he looked.

"Ladybug!" he said again, running towards her and looking so genuinely glad to have someone else there. "I need your help!"

"What's wrong?" she asked, instantly forgetting her annoyance in favor of calming him down.

"There's a girl!" he started rather unhelpfully, his hands waving about as he tried to speak quickly. "A girl, Marinette Dupain-Cheng do you remember her!?"

Ladybug stiffened, her eyes going wide but he didn't stop, looking over the edge of the building back into the street. "She was out at the skating rink in front of the Trocadero at night **by herself** and I accidently scared her. She was skating, she was marvelous it was amazing but I accidently gasped and spooked her and she ran off and I was _stupid_ and she was already out of sight before I realized that she was out in the city at night on her own and _now I can't find her_. She's small Lady! She is a small young girl out here by herself and there are drunks out and its almost **five in the morning** I have no idea what she was thinking being out alone right now but I can't find her it's like she vanished and I'm very **very** concerned _please help me find her_."

Her mouth was open, staring at the panicking Cat in utter surprise. He looked into her face, becoming increasingly impatient, before to his bewilderment he saw something very akin to irritation on her face.

"You were watching her skate!?" she shouted at him, almost- … was she blushing?

"Yes! I was running by and I stopped to watch for a moment _that is hardly what matters right now_ ," he shot back, practically hopping in place in his desire to be off again, his eyes casting about wildly. She still seemed too stunned to move and he groaned, clawing at his hair. "I'm worried she won't make it home safe! I'm going off to look for her if you find her _call me_ okay!?"

Ladybug tried to say something but he was gone, using his baton to vault to the next building towards her home. She sputtered, gaping after him before she finally groaned, burying her face in her hands and stomping on the roof tiles.

"I can't believe him! He was _watching me_ it was HIM I can't **believe** him!" she shouted, reaching up to grab fistfuls of hair and pacing in the cold winter air. "Where does he get off!? Thinking he can just- he can- UGH!"

"Marinette!" a small voice suddenly scolded her, and she knew it was coming from her earrings. "He said he liked it! But you need to go catch up with him right now before she wakes up half of Paris looking for you!"

"I can take care of myself _just fine,"_ she protested, crossing her arms and glaring in the direction he had fled.

"He doesn't know that," Tikki responded, giggling softly. "It's kind of cute when you think about it! He's so worried about you!"

Ladybug made another grumbling sound as she paced, looking for more words but settling instead for a heavy sigh. She was still extremely embarrassed at being caught but… Tikki was right. He was going to really panic if she didn't turn up, and even if she was absolutely furious it did make her smile a little. Only a little though.

"Fine…" she said finally, shaking her head in exasperation before swinging down to street level. "I guess I'll walk the rest of the way and hope he finds me."

She glanced around once before releasing the transformation, opening her coat for Tikki to fly inside. Now that she was Marinette again she had her skates to carry, so she slung them over her shoulder and reacquainted herself with the correct path home before setting off again.

She spent the majority of her walk fuming, embarrassed to have been caught out. She had figured that such a young hour would grant her privacy but she should have known Cat Noir would be the exception to that. There was no limit to what hour he might be patrolling the city, and the Trocadero wasn't exactly a subtle place to skate. She was trying to be fair, it was reasonable for him to be concerned about her being out alone but the stubborn part of her knew she was probably the _best_ person in Paris to be left unattended. As much as he liked to believe it she wasn't some Princess waiting to be kidnapped, she was absolutely fine.

This train of thought contributed to the hot wash of irritation down the back of her neck when she heard the exasperated shout of "There you are!"

Marinette looked up, reminding herself that she couldn't let on that she was upset with him and watched as Cat Noir dove down into the street, running towards her. She opened her mouth to spew some halfhearted greeting when he was suddenly right in front of her, arms crossed and a scowl on his face.

"What are you doing out here by yourself!? There is a party of drunks just one block over its _dangerous_."

Marinette blanched, unable to keep her scoff from slipping out. Her resolution to keep her irritation at bay faded almost instantly, her free hand in a fist placed defiantly on her hip.

"I'm just fine thank you!" she countered, forgoing a greeting of any kind since he had done the same. "I can take care of myself."

She watched his face tighten, his jaw obviously set as he watched her stand unflinchingly before him. He was right about her being brave but just- he wasn't wrong here. He and Ladybug being out was one thing but she could genuinely land herself in trouble.

She waited for him to speak but when he didn't she started walking again, knowing full well he would follow. He looked like he was considering pulling her to a stop but he glanced up at the moon hanging low in the sky and decided that she should at least get closer to home.

"You're out late," Marinette finally spoke, hoping to change the subject.

"We're not dropping this," he retorted, looking sideways at her and was unsurprised to see her grimace. "You shouldn't be out here by yourself Princess I'm serious, what if something happened to you?"

She took an extra second to soften her response before saying, "Like I said, I can take care of myself."

He sighed, dramatically so in her opinion and she saw him raise a hand to run through his hair in the corner of her vision. He was obviously upset with her but he seemed smart enough to recognize stubbornness. She understood his intentions, appreciated them even. He did seem genuinely concerned for her safety. Still though, her irritation remained for a different reason entirely.

She shifted her skates on her shoulder enough to catch his eye and she watched as he suddenly seemed timid. She wasn't going to just let him off the hook for spying on her in what she deemed to be a very private time for her, but first she had to get him to admit to it again.

"Maybe you're right," she said a bit begrudgingly, turning a street corner with him at her side. "There are lots of people out who could be up to no good. I was skating and some creep was spying on me."

He squirmed a little and she had to fight to keep the smirk from her face as she continued.

"I mean seriously what kind of pervert watches a girl late at night like that?"

He squirmed again, looking away down the street like he was suddenly struggling to look at her.

"O-oh, so uh. You skate?" he asked lamely, trying to play innocent, but he had a terrible feeling she was on to him judging by the intensity of her gaze burning through the back of his head.

"Mhm," she hummed, waiting for him to look back but he kept his face tilted anywhere but her direction. She attempted a different tactic. "Not well though, I'm actually quite horrible."

"You call that _horrible_!?" he blurted out, whirling around to face her and gulping when he realized his error.

"So it **was** you!" she shouted, glaring at him fiercely as he moved out ahead of her while walking backwards with his hands up trying desperately to explain himself.

"H-hey listen! I was passing by and I- well I spotted you and you were- hey don't leave!"

She had tried to force her way past him but he grabbed her shoulders, jogging along beside her when he couldn't quite halt her momentum. Never had such a small girl been filled with so much fury. Well, except perhaps Ladybug.

"I'm sorry!" he offered, flinching slightly when her icy eyes glanced up at him. "I shouldn't have watched but I was so impressed, it was fantastic! I wanted to get a closer look because I figured it had to be someone famous but I was so surprised to see that it was you I ended up gasping and ruining it."

She shook off his hands but slowed her pace just enough to let him fall back into a walk.

"I'm sorry Princess, but it really was amazing. I shouldn't have watched but, it was so fantastic!"

He could see her flushed face even in the dimness of the streetlights and watched as she uneasily adjusted her skates hanging over her shoulder. The blades shined brightly, and now when he was so close he could make out the old faded cherry blossoms that decorated them.

She seemed set on ignoring him, pushing on towards home and he was getting anxious. He didn't mean to upset her but she looked ready to really chew him out, something was stopping her though.

"How long have you been skating?" he tried instead, trying to get her to look at him. He glanced nervously ahead, knowing they were very close to her home now. He didn't have much time to fix it.

"A long time," she said shortly, her voice taunt.

"How long is long?"

She looked up at him with narrowed eyes before sighing and looking back forward.

"Since I was a kid."

"Do you skate in competitions? Cause you should."

She barked out a laugh that made him jump, and he watched as she shook her head and pulled her skates into her arms, cradling them almost protectively.

"I'm not good enough for anything like that," she said in a voice that was almost… small. She sighed again. "Besides, I can't perform in front of anyone I get awful stage fright."

He was silent for a moment, and when she looked up into his face he looked bewildered.

"W-why?!" he said suddenly, his face so genuinely confused it was sort of funny, like presenting a cat with a fish tank. "You have nothing to be afraid of you were perfect!"

She felt herself blushing again and an embarrassed breathy giggle slipped out, but her tone remained sad. "Well judges are a lot more critical. They would tear apart my form and technique until they were blue in the face."

He seemed about to reply but he clamped his mouth shut. He really didn't know about these things, he just know that she looked so… elegant. Like she was born for it. He hated to think she doubted herself.

When he said nothing she shifted the skates uneasily in her arms. "Its fine, it's better to just do it for fun anyways."

"You enjoy it?" he asked earnestly, remembering the powerful look on her face when she finished her final spin.

The smile that crossed her lips was soft and warm, making his breath catch just as much as her spectacular performance had.

"Yes. I love it, I would do it all the time if I could. I only get to do it a few times a year though, when there are outdoor rinks I can sneak on to."

He recalled the way she danced for an invisible crowd, her posture so perfect and controlled you never would have known she was afraid to dance for other people. Suddenly though her smile warped into a defeated frown.

"But with you so adamant about me being out at night I suppose I've lost those now too."

He stiffened, withering beneath her gaze when she looked up at him. Her eyes were so sad, and also hard, like ice.

"P-princess…" he started, hating himself and unable to look at her. "It really is dangerous to be alone…"

"I'm alright Cat," she said firmly, surprising him with a hand on his shoulder in an attempt to recapture his attention. "I'm serious! I know you're worried, I appreciate it, but I'm fine. I only get to do this when the rinks are here through the winter, please don't try and stop me."

Something about the way she said it convinced him that he would indeed have to directly stop her in order to prevent her from continuing, she would sneak out again on her own whether he liked it or not. He didn't have any right to try and lock her in just because he was worried about her, and he had even less of a right to keep her from doing something she loved but… Ugh. It was so frustrating, why couldn't she just see that being alone was a _bad idea_. She was so stubborn!

He sighed, glancing over at the bakery as it came into sight.

"I won't Marinette, but- ugh." He groaned again, cat ear swiveling to catch the sound of a few belligerent drunks nearby, only making him more agitated. Then an idea occurred to him.

"Okay," he said quickly, forcing her to stop on the sidewalk. "I know I can't stop you, I know you're stubborn and won't stay put unless I throw you back on your balcony, maybe not even then. But still, Marinette, I must insist on going with you."

Her mouth dropped open, eyes bugging wide as she pulled away from him.

"No WAY!"

"I'm serious!" he countered, "It's not safe! It could even be fun! You come out on nights right? I'm up anyways! I can pick you up at your house and take you to the rink. You can practice and have fun and when you're done I can walk you back again, everyone stays safe and you get to skate!"

"I don't _need you_ to be safe!" she protested, but his stance was firm. "And I- I can't skate in front of anyone!"

"Then I won't watch!" he blurted out, regretting it desperately but admitting to himself that he should at least offer it even if he didn't want to. "If you don't want me to watch I won't I'll just stand guard nearby until you're done!"

She huffed, glaring at him and saying sarcastically, "Oh so you'll just stay up to all hours of the night escorting me around with nothing in return just because you refuse to think I can defend myself?"

"You shouldn't _have_ to defend yourself and it's safer that way!" he barked, in disbelief that she could be so ridiculous. His proposal made perfect sense to him.

She sputtered, searching for words before groaning and stomping her foot. With a heavy sigh she finally said, "You're just going to stalk around outside of my house if I say no aren't you?"

"I knew you were clever Princess," he grinned, happy to see that in some way he had won the argument. She groaned but it just made him laugh, he knew he had gotten what he wanted now, even if he did sign himself up for guard duty he could rest easy knowing his friend would be alright. "So what time should I be here tomorrow?" he said easily, taking out his staff so he could lean on it.

She glared at him, so completely annoyed with this stupid Cat even if the gesture was sweet.

"3 AM," she finally muttered, barging past him to start unlocking the door.

"No need for that!" he announced, ignoring her indignant squeak as he grabbed her around the waist and pulled her close against him. He shot a charming smirk down at her before extending his staff, propelling the both of them up into the air until he could gracefully swing Marinette down onto her balcony. "I'll be here at 3:00 Princess, and remember if you try and sneak off without me I _will_ catch up to you."

She just stared at him for a moment before scoffing and turning on her heel, stomping towards the hatch in the floor that led to her room.

"Sleep well Ice Flower," he called, giving her a playful wink before leaping off into the night, laughing to himself when he heard her scoff again.

Marinette waited for a second, letting Tikki out into the cool night air just so she could have someone to rant to for a moment.

"That stupid ridiculous, absolutely unbelievable CAT!"


	2. Chapter 2

Adrien blinked sleepily at the board in front of him, his tired brain wondering just when exactly the teacher had the time to fill it with notes like that. He could have sworn he was totally on track but he blinked once and he was way behind. A glance up at the clock made him realize that his blink might have lasted a little longer than he originally thought.

With a yawn Adrien started to jot down everything that wasn't yet in his notebook, evenly spacing out different sections of information as the teacher droned through the subject. A question was asked and a few hands raised, but he perked up when he heard Marinette's voice cheerily reply, confidently delivering the correct answer. He glanced over his shoulder, pen trailing off and leaving an unsightly line through his otherwise immaculate notes as he stole a look at her.

She wasn't looking at him, doodling something on her page as the teacher applauded her knowledge but looking far more awake than he was. She was bright and happy, tongue out _just_ slightly as she worked on whatever was in front of her. It made him smile.

He jerked sharply when Nino nudged him, turning around in his seat before anyone else could notice his distraction but unable to hide the heat of his face. He shot a sleepy glare at his best friend who smirked and raised an eyebrow at him but Nino was forced to divert his attention when the teacher called on him, something Adrien was extremely grateful for.

He looked down at his notes and frowned at the line cutting through a few of his words. It wasn't fair that he was exhausted when Marinette looked like she could run a marathon, he hadn't been running around _that_ much and she had been skating! He couldn't be this tired when he went to fetch her that night, he'd have to nap or something like she probably did.

When his thoughts turned to their scheduled rendezvous he grinned tiredly to himself, pleased with the arrangement he had managed to create. It was so funny to him, watching Marinette through the day when he knew just how graceful she could be. She always did have a sort of smoothness to her stance he noticed, but god could she also be a bit clumsy. It was so strange, since he had seen her practically fly only five hours before that she could also almost fall into a trashcan. He liked being in on her little secret, even if he wasn't really supposed to be. She hadn't seemed very pleased with him having seen her or with him insisting that he come along, she had been pretty annoyed actually but he was sure he could win her over. He would make it up to her, bring her some hot chocolate maybe and be a gentleman. He wouldn't watch at all if that's what she wanted, even if he really, _really_ wanted to, he wouldn't. He would take a game or something, put his back to the ice rink and patiently wait until she was done so he could walk her home. He'd use the time to study or do work if it wouldn't give him away, but it certainly would since they would be identical to her own assignments so he couldn't do that. He frowned again, wondering how he was going to find the time to sleep while also getting everything done. He had fencing and piano after school, an essay to write not to mention all of his other homework as well.

His pen tapped lightly against the notebook paper as he considered his options, shaking his head slightly to rid him of his weariness and sort of failing.

If he started his physics during his lunch hour and had the essay outlined before fencing started then he should have enough time to write everything and turn in early. If he did that he could get a full night's sleep **before** going to get Mari, behave like a gentleman and let her skate in peace, then have a quick cat nap before getting up again for school. That way he should be fully rested and everything would work out.

He breathed out a short puff of air at his loaded schedule but a smile still played on his lips as the bell rang and he started to collect his things for lunch. He didn't think of it as a hassle at all, guarding her. He doubted he would be able to sleep anyways knowing she was out on her own, so it was really the best for everyone.

"So uh," Nino's voice cut in, leaning across their shared desk into Adrien's peripheral vision, "what was that about?"

"What was what about?" Adrien played dumb, throwing his pen to the bottom of his bag and quickly slinging it over his shoulder in an attempt to escape. It was futile, Nino was already up and blocking the way.

"The staring at Marinette," Nino pushed, tailing his friend as he fled out into the hallway. "All the staring at Marinette, all day actually."

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

Nino scoffed and rolled his eyes, accidently heading in the wrong direction for a few feet before he noticed Adrien had turned for the library instead of the cafeteria.

"No idea at all. All the staring and the staring and the _staring_. With that smile on your face the whole time- yeah that one!" Nino interrupted himself, pointing at Adrien's subdued grin before he could wipe it off his face.

"I don't know what you mean," Adrien continued, walking briskly towards an empty table, "but unless you wanted to sit and interrogate me while I did physics-"

"No thanks I'm good," Nino halted in his tracks, spooked off by the mention of his most hated subject, letting Adrien walk out ahead of him. "You know I can get you her number if you want it."

"I wasn't staring!" he finally snapped back, but Nino only laughed at him.

"Yeah sure whatever, I'll text it to you later along with a picture if you need something to keep you company through lunch."

"NINO!"

A librarian across the room shushed him harshly as Nino was running away, laughing at him as he left. Adrien sat down with a huff, deciding he was too tired to pursue his friend and smack him over the head.

The smooth pages of his textbook drifted through his fingers as he looked for the current course material, his thoughts heated and embarrassed at Nino's ribbing. He hadn't been staring that much he seriously hadn't, Nino was being stupid. He ignored his phone the first time it vibrated as well, focusing on his assignment and powering through the next three text alerts before he caved and looked.

It was a text from Nino with a number he didn't recognize but assumed was Marinette's followed by **three** pictures of her taken at various times throughout the year. Adrien's face flushed as he shoved his phone back in his pocket, resolving to sock Nino just before their next class. He only paused in his diligent working once more to reopen his phone and properly save her number, assigning one of the photos as her contact picture. It was the one where she had glitter in her hair from when she was tasked with making the banner for the fencing tournament.

Adrien managed to finish all of his physics as well as half the outline before lunch was over, jogging to his class and roughly punching Nino in the shoulder as he passed him. It was probably a tad too hard but Nino was a champ about it, acknowledging he had earned it and grinned proudly even if it was a bit pained.

Adrien found time in his last few classes to finish his outline and actually make a rough draft before school had let out, saying goodbye to his friends as usual as he headed towards the gym to change. He didn't let Nino's teasing stop him from saying goodbye to Marinette specifically though, enjoying her shy and flustered wave that acted as her response.

He let his excitement for meeting Marinette that night carry him through fencing, his hope that maybe if he behaved he might be allowed to watch trumping his exhaustion entirely. His excitement only strengthened by the time he was in his piano lessons held in a private room in his home, the instructor pacing around the grand piano and demanding his attention with a demand.

"Show me what you've learned about song structure," he said in a bland voice Adrien had always compared to dust. If dust made a sound it would be that man's voice he was certain of it, he was definitely old enough to maybe be dust incarnate. "I expect you to perform an inspired piece," he droned on, struggling to draw up a chair so he could listen.

Adrien frowned at the keys, hating his vague test that his teacher was fond of giving instead of practiced instruction. He thought it was better for a student to use their knowledge of the instrument to create something unique and new but he didn't learn piano because he was a musical savant he learned it because his father asked him too. His musical ear had been trained enough that he could sort of pick out songs he already knew and just elaborate on those, but he had already cycled through most of the anime themes he knew off the top of his head and he wasn't sure what other songs he could pretend to create that his instructor wouldn't catch him on.

Already done Fairytail… both main themes. Video games maybe but he had pretty much exhausted all Legend of Zelda, and he could TRY and pick out something from Pokemon but it was too repetitive to pass. He wasn't a musical genius, he didn't just… play from the soul. It wasn't a passion of is it wasn't like Marinette with her ice skating.

He stopped.

His instructor cleared his throat impatiently and Adrien nervously poised his practiced hands over the keys, expecting himself to be desperately searching for some other tune he could play but instead finding that he was replaying his glimpse of Marinette's dance in his head.

It filled his thoughts, striking him with its mastery of the craft just like it had the first time, maybe even more so now that he knew the graceful stranger had been his friend. He thought of how she danced to silence like there was a grand song there, shoulders bowing with the weight of notes he couldn't hear, arms thrown wide to a crowd he couldn't see. He wondered what story her movements told that he had missed, and wondered again what song played for her while she danced so effortlessly across the ice.

Her movements were so elegant, each miniscule shift in weight and posture speaking of some influence of a song that wasn't there. A dip of a note or the swell as it led to the bridge. He wondered what that would sound like.

So he tried.

He closed his eyes, tracing the dance in his mind with his fingers on the keys. As she led into a spin the notes curved, as she leapt so did the tune as it unfolded for him. He wasn't amazed with himself or even surprised, it made sense. It was the song she was dancing too, it fit her performance perfectly because it _was_ the performance, every turn of her shoulders influencing key, her speed changing the tempo.

He breathed out, opening his eyes as the tune faded out of existence along with his looping reel of her dance in his mind, and he looked over to his teacher.

The instructor looked… shocked, perhaps even touched, and as Adrien reflected on the sound of the song he sort of understood why. It had conveyed the amazement of a man watching something perfect for the first time, and it had ended up so powerful that he was almost… embarrassed by it.

"You are dismissed for the day Adrien," the instructor huffed in his dusty voice, and the boy bowed before darting out into the hall and heading towards his room, the song chasing him all the while.

It didn't leave him even as he worked, writing his paper and organizing his notes, or as he picked what game he would bring to meet her or as he settled in to sleep. It even expanded, changing as he realized it wasn't just a song for her dance anymore, but more so a song about what it had felt like to watch. He was in disbelief at his own behavior, how could seeing something from a great distance in the dead of night elicit such an emotion? It was ridiculous, foolish even but… maybe she was just that talented. She told a story just by moving, even if he had only managed to watch for a few minutes.

His song for her dance flowed and changed all throughout his dreams, and he subconsciously named it "Ice Flower."

Marinette sat on the edge of her bed holding her ice skates in her hands with a pout on her face as Tikki floated nearby, the red kwami giggling happily.

"It's so cute! Him watching over you like this, he's such a gentleman."

"Mm," Marinette muttered back, checking the clock once again. 2:58 AM.

Tikki sighed, crossing her arms in disbelief. "What's the problem? Do you really hate spending time with him?"

The girl's head shot up, eyes wide and her mouth open as she harshly protested, "Of course not!"

"Then what's so wrong about this?"

Marinette matched Tikki's gaze and sighed, clutching her skates close to her chest and she looked at the ground again.

"It's embarrassing."

"He said he wouldn't watch!"

"That's embarrassing too! I-it's just embarrassing! I didn't expect anyone to find out about it…"

Tikki floated over, tapping her charge lightly on the nose.

"Well, all secrets considered it's probably the best one."

Marinette huffed cutely, a slight pout on her lips. "Yeah probably."

She jumped when there was the sound of something hard clicking against glass just above her, Tikki vanishing from sight with a squeak just as the hatch opened and a messy mop of blonde hair poked in.

"Hello Princess!" Cat Noir called, curiously peeking around her room as she hurried to her feet.

"You scared me!" she complained, glaring up at him but not able to completely manage the evil look she had been going for. He just looked far too cheery for that.

"Here let me make it up to you," he laughed, reaching down to help her out into the cold air of her balcony. She pulled her coat closer around her and looked him over, surprised to see a plain black bag slung over his shoulder and a shining silver thermos in his hands. "I brought you something warm, in case you wanted it," he announced with a grin, holding out the thermos for her to take.

She tilted her head cutely before reaching out for it, the metal warm against her quickly chilling fingers as she used her free hand to raise the canister to her nose. It was hot chocolate.

She was surprised to say the least by his gesture, looking up into his excited boyish face as she clutched the warm cylinder to her chest to share its heat with Tikki inside the coat.

"Oh, thank you!" she managed, laughing at nothing in particular as she took a sip. It was very creamy and rich, some high quality mix she was sure.

"Here I'll get those," he suddenly said, reaching out for her skates but pausing just above them to check if that was alright with her. When she did not move to stop him he took them gingerly and placed them in his bag, revealing a blanket and something gold already nestled inside.

He stood there uncertainly for a second before smirking and offering an arm. "Would you like me to carry you across the rooftops? Or do heights frighten you?"

She blinked once before a bark of laughter escaped her, the idea of such a fear ludicrous to her.

"Heights don't scare me at all, and I wouldn't need you to carry me."

Cat Noir couldn't help the slight superiority that slipped out as he tilted his head with a smirk on his face. "I doubt you're at home with heights as I am."

He was surprised by how easily she challenged him with a smirk of her own. "I bet it's closer than you think."

"Oh really?" he laughed, moving forward to grip her by the waist, a motion she noted with a raise of her eyebrow but did not forbid. "Well let's get going then, I'll help you with the first jump."

"How polite of you," she hummed sarcastically, tensing appropriately as he suddenly whisked them high in the air with his baton, lunging towards the next rooftop. He watched her face as they flew, surprised that she didn't even bat an eye as he swept her up into his arms for the landing.

Marinette wiggled indignantly to be set down which he allowed with a chuckle, watching her carefully as she moved out away from him independently. She really didn't seem bothered at all by the height, wandering closer to the edges than he was comfortable with and watching him all the while with a smile.

"How much you want to bet you get scared before I do?" she called out to him, walking forward without him.

"Not gonna happen," he said easily, following after her in the night. He was up this high all the time, there was very little that could frighten hi-

Terror seized his heart as Marinette jumped up along the edge of the apartment building they stood on, losing her balance and pin wheeling her arms as she threatened to fall over. He was a second away from lunging for her when she all at once righted herself effortlessly, smirking at him before sticking her tongue out.

He scoffed so deeply it was almost a growl, stalking forward to pluck her from the edge.

"That wasn't funny."

She seemed to disagree, laughing at him as he decided that being on the roof was a bad idea and instead extending his staff so they could slide down to ground level.

"Oh come on I won't do it again!" she protested as he set her down on the street, but he shook his head.

"Nope, you've lost your roof privileges. No rooves for you."

"Come on!"

"Nope, should have thought of that before."

She pouted at him which he ignored with some difficulty, her big blue eyes surprisingly effective at the puppy dog approach. Eventually though she gave up with a chuckle, apologizing for scaring him but he wasn't convinced she felt bad about it, not judging by the smile on her face. Now that he wasn't terrified she was about to fall to her death he thought it was pretty funny too, but he wasn't going to tell her that.

They walked in companionable silence for a while, Marinette occasionally asking him about his day or something else sociable, which he would answer and in return ask her about hers. He liked to listen to her ramble about class and homework, talking about her friends and something funny Alya had told her that morning.

"I appreciate you looking out for me," she finally said at one point, looking up at him, "but I really can look after myself."

"I know you can," he responded vaguely, showing no intention of relieving himself of guard duty.

She took a sip of her hot chocolate, mulling over his response. She said, "Well you can't run around protecting every girl you see at all hours, you'll wear yourself thin."

"You're not just any girl princess," he said easily without really considering how it might sound, smiling down at her shocked face. "I'll gladly watch over you, or rather," his face twisted into deep thought, "not watch you… from nearby. Be nearby I guess is what I mean, specifically not watching you skate cause you don't want me to."

He expected her to laugh or tease him at his disjointed answer but when he looked down she was quiet, staring down at the thermos in her hands.

"Princess?"

"You really wouldn't look huh? If I asked you not to?"

She looked up and could see his eyes widen slightly before he smiled and reached into his bag. He grabbed a small handheld gaming console and flashed its gold casing proudly.

"I brought a game to distract myself and everything."

Marinette could feel the air pool in her lungs in something that wasn't quite a gasp, just a sharp inhale. But she smiled, beaming up at him.

"You might be kind of silly but…" she looked forward, drinking from her chocolate again and feeling even warmer than before, "You're pretty considerate huh?"

"I try to be," he offered, not sure what to say in response but returning her smile.

They were silent for a moment, the ice rink coming into view as they rounded the corner before finally…

"You can watch."

Cat Noir gasped, whirling round to face her with an ecstatic grin. "Really!? Is that alright?"

He could see the light blush on her face but her smile didn't fade. "Yes it's fine, I know you won't make fun of me or anything."

"There's nothing to make fun of," he insisted, starting to bounce as they walked and loving the musical sound of her laugh as she shook her head. "You're wonderful! At ice skating," he corrected himself, glad that she had missed that slight fumble.

He quickly stowed his game and pulled out her ice skates, letting her take their weight before he whisked her into his arms despite her protests. He jogged over to the rink now, closing the distance in half the time and setting her down so she could swap out her shoes.

"You're so excited," she remarked, laughing breathily and still fighting off her nervousness at performing in front of someone.

"Of course I am! I'll be respectful, I promise," he swore, giving a small salute as he leapt onto the bench beside her, pulling out his blanket.

It was a funny sight for Marinette to see Cat Noir snuggled up in a blanket on the sidelines of an ice rink, beaming at her eagerly as he waited for her to take to the ice. She offered him the remainder of the hot chocolate, partially thinking that the warm drink clutched in his claws would complete the image.

Cat Noir watched her pull on her skates and walk confidently towards the entrance to the ice, pausing at the edge and looking out over the clear polished surface. She waited there, unsure of herself though he couldn't understand why. She looked over her shoulder and he smiled in what he hoped was his most encouraging way, willing her to have confidence.

She took a deep breath, a cloud of white exploding on the exhale on the cold winter night. Then finally, with her eyes closed for the first step, she glided out.

Adrien watched in awe of his classmate, entranced by how effortlessly she moved. As she started to warm up, just getting used to the ice and stretching she would call out to him, continuing some of their simple conversations as she zipped about.

"What sort of game did you bring? If you had played it," she asked, skating backwards like it was nothing at all. Cat Noir stood and dragged his blanket along with him, setting the silver thermos against the railing as he watched her.

"Pokemon!" he answered, and she laughed.

"I love Pokemon, Azurill is my favorite!"

She spun mid-sentence and landed on one foot, still moving along from her momentum.

"I love it too! I'm partial to Umbreon."

"Makes sense," she said with a laugh.

They chatted like that for a little while more, but he could sense a change in the air as she got ready to dance. He respectfully settled into silence, holding the blanket close around him as he waited. Without any prompting at all his song for her dance started to play again in his mind, the notes settling over her like a cloak as she held completely still. He watched her bowed head slowly rise, looking out once again over an invisible crowd, before she started to dance again.

It was a different dance though he couldn't say his song no longer fit, because it changed for her. The melody swept forward and changed as she span, warping to match her every move. Maybe it was because as much as he tried to convince himself the song was for her dance, that wasn't quite true. Maybe it still fit because it was still _her_ , because the song wasn't about the skating really. It was about her.

At what point he started humming the tune aloud he wasn't sure, the sound of her skates cutting into the ice and his own voice a strange duet in the dead of night.

He didn't realized he had leapt the barrier until he felt the chill of the ice beneath his feet, cutting through even the padding of his shoes. He left the blanket behind, letting it trail over the divider, the thermos left to chill on the railing. He didn't intrude or run forward, he just wanted to be a little closer. He let his back slide down the wall until he was sitting, ignoring how cold it made him and instead focusing on humming his song, a smile on his face as something that was undeniably pride surged through him. She was so shy, but so brave, and here she was… defying her fears to show him something personal. To witness it all from so close was incredible, and he never knew how he could repay her for it. So he just kept humming, letting her song fill the silence around them. He could tell she could hear him, if the smile was anything to go by.

He hoped she liked it.

((Stephan Moccio- Cadeau)) ((Thats the song))


	3. Chapter 3

"Cat?"

"Yes Princess?"

Marinette folded her arms around herself for warmth, leaning against the railing of her balcony and looking up at her perched feline friend, ready to flee into the steadily lightening night.

He looked down at her with a tired smile, having had a fantastic time watching her skate but now in great need of a cat nap before school.

"I was going to ask, that song you were humming. What was it?"

Cat Noir stiffened, an uneasy chuckle slipping out as he reached up to scratch lightly at the back of his neck. If she didn't know better she'd say he almost looked sheepish.

"It's not a real song. Or well, it is I guess but I made it up."

She gasped, turning to grip the railing in her hands and standing on her tippy-toes. She didn't look tired at all it was completely unfair.

"You made up that song?! But it's so pretty!"

He grinned playfully, his belt tail curling on its own accord. "Oh what since it's pretty I couldn't have made it?"

Their breath made white clouds as they laughed, the chill not bothering either of them very much, drawing out their interaction if only for a few more minutes.

"I just didn't know you were so good with music is all," she qualified, tilting her head cutely in the way she did when she was curious. "Do you sing?"

"Sing? No, no not on your life," he laughed, shaking his head at the very idea. He could sing, but he definitely chose not to if he had the option. Humming was different. "No, I play piano though. That's what I wrote the song on."

She gasped cutely again and it made him chuckle.

"I wanna hear it!" she surprised him by saying, the cat almost losing his balance as he turned his body to more easily face her. "I want to hear the whole song! What's it called?"

"Wait what!?" he blurted out, tail twitching nervously at the thought of actually playing it for her, but there was no way he could say that. He had no room to talk since she had just spent two hours skating so he could watch. But this was different, it was way more embarrassing (in his opinion). The song was actually about her. Oh there was no way he could tell her that.

"Please Cat? It would be fun I think, for me to see something you're good at. I showed you ice skating!"

"I was not aware this was an eye for an eye type situation when I got involved," he pouted, tail continuing to twitch and curl until it wrapped around his boots almost moodily.

"Will you really not even tell me what it's called?" she whined, bouncing a little as she pleaded with him.

He felt hot in the face as he searched for an answer.

"I-it doesn't have a title," he lied, knowing full well that it did, but her eyes narrowed, catching on to him instantly. She didn't press or interrogate further, she could tell he was cracking.

"You'd laugh at me if I told you," he added a moment later, still frying under her gaze as she continued to stare silently, until finally he sighed. "Okay, fine it's- it's called- don't laugh. It's called Ice Flower."

She didn't laugh like he had feared, in fact her reaction was probably more nerve wracking than laughing. She blushed, and he was instantly extremely embarrassed.

"This was before tonight! And I had seen you skate before for those few minutes and, well I sorta- I was playing and-"

"That's so sweet," she cut him off, his eyes widening as she smiled nervously, a blush still prominent on her face. His own was probably no better. "You wrote a song because you saw me dancing?"

"Well when you say it like that…" he trailed off, looking down off the edge of the building and contemplating the height a bit dramatically.

She giggled quietly, and he was honestly surprised she wasn't teasing him or mad even. He wasn't sure why she would be mad but she might have been, it would have made more sense than… flattered.

"Well," she finally said after a moment's silence, "now I really want to hear it. But if you don't want to show me that's okay."

She started to walk away, stooping to pick up her ice skates and walking towards the hatch in the floor of her balcony.

"It's just not done is all," he found himself saying, wanting to explain it somehow, but also agreeing with her. It was her song, he realized that he wanted her to hear it too. "But I could keep working on it. Once it's done then… yeah maybe I can show you somehow. Find some unguarded piano at night."

She looked over her shoulder, smiling at him in a way that was very… at peace. "I'd like that. Goodnight Cat, see you tomorrow?"

Cat Noir looked on, a little stunned by the soft smile she gave him. "Y-yeah… see you tomorrow, goodnight."

He heard more than saw the hatch open with a squeak since his eyes were trained on her until she vanished inside, the balcony instantly that much colder. He turned back forward, sitting a moment more on her railing while he thought about the way she had been acting since she got off the rink that night. She was a little more normal. When he was Cat Noir there was always sort of a barrier between them, like she was very careful about everything she said, and when she was Adrien her nerves usually got the best of her and he couldn't help but think he had intimidated her somehow when they first met. Now though she had shared something very personal with him, and it was like one of those walls had fallen down. Not all of them, no definitely not all of them, but a big one. It made him happy to think they had gotten closer in some way.

He leapt off fearlessly into the night, running for home to maybe get a little more rest in thinking all the while of how he might make her song better. If he really was going to play it for her… it had to be just right.

The following week Adrien worked diligently on the song, crafting it into something he was proud of even going so far as to ask his instructor for help with it. He found time to tap out parts of it against his notes for history, found some way to hear its tempo in the clashing of swords during fencing. He was tired definitely, what with the homework and the lessons and the shoots and the akuma attacks but none of that stopped him from meeting Marinette at 3 AM every night (morning?). She could see he was getting worn, calling off one of their meetups because "I'm totally swamped with homework! I'm sorry, the day after though for sure," even if he had known she was lying. It had actually been one of the lightest days for homework so far, he knew she was just trying to give him time to rest. He didn't protest though, even Ladybug had begun to notice and scolded him for not taking care of himself. She had been surprisingly warmer as well, smiling a little easier at his jokes, laughing at his antics more often than being annoyed by them… he wasn't sure what had changed but he wasn't complaining. He loved it.

He found a balance between being everywhere he was meant to be and getting enough sleep in between, working the whole time on Ice Flower. Eventually it was twice as complex and finally sounded like something he could show to the person who had inspired it. He kept a few days more though… to practice. And procrastinate, plan where to find a piano… procrastinate.

He was nervous alright?

However it was a great help to his nerves how they just seemed to get closer by the day (night). He could be himself, just like with Ladybug, and also just like his lady he was about equal with either getting a laugh for his puns or a punch in the arm. He saw her in an entirely new light, could see their new inside jokes in the shape of her lips every time she talked, wishing she might say "Slippy kitty," but knowing she wouldn't, not when he didn't have the mask. He wanted her too though.

It was about seven days in to their nightly hangouts that he dreamed about unmasking himself to her for the first time.

He had the same dream a thousand times, with alternate endings each time, except with Ladybug not Marinette. To want her to know was natural, he knew they could never be together as long as they didn't know so… he had often dreamed that maybe if he just threw caution to the wind and ripped his ring off she might… probably not though. He knew that…

He had thought about telling Nino as well a handful of times, he was his best friend. Those dreams never lingered for very long though, he knew why he couldn't tell Nino. The idea of having him in on it was entertaining but… no. Things would be too different, as cool as Nino was he was often afraid Nino would stop viewing him as Adrien completely.

His dream with Marinette though…

He had shown up at her balcony, a while later than was normal for him. The sky was starting to get brighter, the overcast sky a powdery gray as he landed on her railing. He had sat down on the ground, watching her hatch, and she appeared a few minutes later like she had sensed he was there. She didn't have her skates, and she wasn't wearing her winter coat. She was wearing something light and flowing, a pale yellow summer dress with white printed daisies decorating it throughout. She had snow in her hair and dusting her thin shoulders though none fell from the sky, yet another sign none of it was real.

"Cat! You didn't come before," she had said, walking towards him.

"Sorry, Marinette," his own voice had called out, watching her approach him unbashfully since there was no real fear of being impolite. "But I wanted to tell you something."

"Okay," she said with a smile, tilting her head a little, the snow shifting around her but never quite falling. "What is it?"

"What would you say," he asked timidly, "if I told you we knew each other in real life?"

"I'd say that's great," she responded right away.

"What if I was Adrien?"

"Are you?" she asked, smiling like she already knew.

He said nothing.

"Well," she filled the silence, sitting down in front of him, "I'd say it changes nothing."

"Nothing?"

"Nothing at all. You're still a slippy kitty. You're still my friend. Is that okay?"

His dream-self sighed, nodding his head before reaching out to hug her, her body so warm it almost burned him.

"That's perfect Princess."

He had jolted awake roughly with his face burning with embarrassment at his mental image of her, so small and pretty, smiling at him. What lingered the most though was how… okay it felt. When his dreams showed him an equally understanding Ladybug it had always seemed wrong. Never would it be that easy, that simple. It could happen, it _might_ happen, he had to believe that but… it wouldn't be like that. He didn't understand then why it was Marinette who accepted him easily, with no hang ups or repercussions. She would defend his secret to the grave, he could almost imagine him saying it as easily as the weather.

"Hey I'm you're classmate."

"Oh, Adrien right? Awesome. Hey did you have a Raichu you could trade me?"

When he was awake he could see the flaws in that reasoning, it would never be that simple but… it was a fantasy is all. One that returned every night after that.

He thought about it every day in class, every time he glanced at her from the corner of his eye.

'Hey Mari… it's me.' His eyes would follow her as she walked past him, his mind chanting, 'Hey Mari… hi. It's me. Hi…'

He said hi to her sure, talked to her as often as he could as Adrien but it didn't feel the same. It didn't feel like greeting her as Cat Noir.

It was too many hollow hellos that spurred him to reach out to her again, in much the same way she had done for him.

That night, when he came to collect her, he did not take his usual blanket and bag. He arrived on her balcony empty handed, heart thumping unevenly when she quietly opened her hatch. She was holding her skates in one hand, and very gently he took them from her before setting them down on her deck chair.

"We won't be needing those tonight," he said vaguely, smirking despite his nerves when she quirked an eyebrow at him.

"We don't need ice skates for ice skating?" she chuckled, following Cat's gesturing hands towards the railing.

"We're not ice skating this time," he spoke again, offering little information as he gripped her around the waist so he could take her weight and vault the two of them to a neighboring roof.

"Did I get my roof privileges back?" she giggled, rolling her eyes when he pursed his lips and only fusing a little when he swept her up into his arms.

"Thank you for reminding me, no you did not."

"You're ridiculous," she sighed, holding her body in a way that made it a little easier for him to run with her.

"You almost fell off."

"I was _joking_."

"It was a terrible joke."

"Oh coming from you?"

"Excuse me?"

He held her a little closer, sliding down the tile of a particularly steep roof. He used his staff to cross the distance to the next roof, teetering slightly because Marinette's weight had shifted. Once they landed he looked down at her to see her leaning around him slightly, reaching for something.

"What are you doing?" he asked finally, almost at their destination and needing a distraction.

"Can you not feel this?" she asked, tugging a little at something and alerting him for the first time that she had in fact grabbed his tail. "Makes sense I guess," she continued, releasing it and settling back into her spot. "It _is_ a belt. I guess I had sorta hoped though."

"Disappointed?" he laughed, looking down to see her shrug and taking that as a yes. "We're almost there so hopefully this will make up for it."

"What are we doing exactly?" she asked, not making much of a fuss as he blatantly broke into the building, sneaking in through an open maintenance hatch.

"Well uh…" he started, lowering the two of them down into the upper supports of the concert hall, "I did promise I would play for you."

Marinette gasped, griping his suit and forcing him to look down into her wide shining eyes.

"You're going to play me the song you wrote!?"

His voice left him, his need to focus on getting them down safely enough of an excuse for him to stay silent, so all he gave her was a nod.

He expected her to cheer and wiggle and although she couldn't totally prevent that adorable excited butt wiggle that she usually did she was surprisingly quiet. Cat Noir took a deep breath and lowered them onto the concert hall stage, a gorgeous black grand piano sat prominently in its center. The only light came from windows and glass ceiling panels, so the piano was in fairly dim light but it didn't affect him any. He could see the instrument as plainly as he could at home. In fact the poor lighting only occurred to him when he set Marinette on her feet only to have her lightly keep hold of his arm.

It was so strange, to be in that concert hall alone with her, guiding her towards the bench so she could sit on one edge. It was surreal, like a dream he hadn't woken up from yet, but he knew it was real. The weight of her hands gripping his arm was enough proof of that.

She was quiet and patient, and it took him a moment to realize she was replicating his own patience when she had first skated for him. He silenced a chuckle to keep from breaking the moment, admiring how observant she could be. She could tell he was nervous and was acting accordingly, smiling at him gently any time he looked at her.

He sat down beside her, flinching with embarrassment when his tail curled around her on its own accord. He really had no say in what it did, but he was afraid to acknowledge it at all and since she hadn't reacted he was going to ignore it.

He looked down at the keys, not sure what to say as an intro at all. Very slowly he started to remove his gloves. To his relief Plagg kept to his word and had the ring phase through the material to still sit on his finger, so he was able to remove the clawed gloves without incident. He turned his head slightly when he heard Marinette inhale softly, her eyes glued to his hands in the dim light.

"Expecting claws?" he chuckled softly, and she didn't reply, something like deep consideration on her features. "Couldn't very well play with them on."

She nodded, eyes trained on them a moment more before she looked up at him. He could feel the shift in the air as she waited, and he knew now there was no escape. Not that he would have taken the chance had it been presented. He might be nervous but… he wanted to share it with her.

Part of him wondered if that's how she felt just before she skated for him for the first time.

He could hear the soft click of the keys settling down with the light pressure of his fingers, poised to begin and smiled. It was a quality piano, it rivaled his own at home. He tested a few of its keys as an excuse to wait a moment longer, the notes ringing out clear and beautiful. Then however, he glanced back down at her, eagerly watching his hands… and he stopped fooling around.

He took a deep breathe, the image of Marinette skating in the night easy to recall. He could even hear the cutting of her skates in the ice. So when she danced, so did his hands.

The sound swelled and filled the space of the concert hall, echoing out in an almost haunting way. It was better than he had ever played it before, it was more… emotional. It turned and soared, just like an ice skater. Just like Marinette.

The thought of making mistakes left him completely, because it wasn't about impressing her anymore. It was just about showing her, sharing it with her. It was like a relief, having the song that had ghosted his mind every time he saw her finally pour out from him in this way. Like it could only really be released if she was there to hear it. It didn't leave a hole in him… it was almost like it filled a space.

He could hear her over the music, it was quiet and almost inaudible, but it was a sigh. During a slower part where he could brave a glance, he saw that her eyes were closed, head bowed slightly. She was smiling.

As he started to pull her song to a close it really did feel like the last traces of something powerful fled into the darkness of the hall. He had completed its task.

He breathed almost in a sigh himself when the song concluded, the silence that came after calming and reassuring. His hands stayed on the keys for a little while more, before he drew his hands into his lap and turned to look at Marinette.

Her eyes were open now, staring at his discarded gloves placed above the keys and out of the way with a subdued smile on her face. Her eyes almost… shimmered, and it was then that he realized they were watery. She hadn't shed tears, but she had come close and the realization filled him with pride.

"It was beautiful," she whispered, her smile spreading as she reached up to wipe her eyes. "It was so… wonderful. Thank you so much… it was amazing _you're_ amazing."

She looked up at him, catching his softly glowing green eyes in the dark and bit back a chuckle, knowing he was human behind such inhuman features.

"Thank you… for sharing that with me…" she finally spoke again, reaching out towards the piano and claiming one of his gloves, turning a claw between her thumb and index finger as that deep consideration claimed her features again.

"I'm glad you liked it… it was for you after all," he chuckled quietly, his confidence surprising him. He was still riding the high of executing it so well.

She smiled to herself, saying "Ice Flower."

He grinned when she said it, but he watched her carefully, aware that the contemplation was still there in her eyes, like she weighed a great consequence.

He waited for a little, letting her think before finally asking, "What is it?"

"Hm?" she replied vaguely, eyes still focused on his glove, sometimes trailing to his exposed hands.

"What has a Princess with such a serious expression in her eyes?" he asked playfully, masking his slight but genuine worry with passing curiosity.

She didn't reply right away, laying the glove back down with its twin and nodding to herself.

"I was thinking about how beautiful the song was."

"I don't think that's all of it," he encouraged.

She nodded absentmindedly, agreeing with him.

"I was thinking about how talented you are," she continued. "I had no idea you could play piano so well."

He chuckled, leaning back slightly on their shared bench and plucking his tail from her hip while she was distracted.

"All that thinking because you're impressed with my playing? I'm flattered."

She nodded again, falling silent.

Cat Noir bit his lip, saying, "I'll help if I can," unsure of what else he could say.

"I guess…" she tried again, fixing him with her stare again, "it's easy to forget there is a whole other guy under there. Who plays piano and likes video games."

He stiffened.

"I mean I knew that," she continued, hands twisting in her lap, "but I guess I still didn't."

She could see him relax a little again from the corner of her eye, knowing the topic of his identity might make him uncomfortable, but it was very forefront in her mind. Something about seeing normal human hands… something she had known of course he had but still… seeing it? Having gotten closer to him like she had been it just became more and more real to her that he had a whole other life. She had wondered before who he might be, what he might be like but… she felt like she knew that guy a little better. A boy who played piano, who liked Pokémon and other games. She found herself wondering for the first time through her classes what he might be doing, what his friends might be like. Now having heard him play, those thoughts were only louder.

She reached up, grabbing his gloves and handing them to him with a smile, breaking their small silence by saying, "Just makes me wonder what sort of guy you are is all, without the mask and cat ears."

He stared at her for a second before smiling, taking the gloves but leaving them off.

"Well Princess, what sort of guy do you peg me for?"

She blinked once before chuckling, looking off into the darkness of the concert hall.

"I dunno," she shrugged, "a nice enough one I suppose."

He grinned. "That's good."

"Considerate as well."

"I try to be, come on though," he laughed, nudging her slightly. "Give me something I could be without the ring, tell me what sort of guy I am."

"Hmmm…" she speculated, making a show of scrunching up her face in thought, a finger on her lips. She peered at him like she was trying to see through his mask, and he matched her with a sharp toothed smirk before she said, "Preppy."

"Preppy!?" he exclaimed, his voice loud in the hall as was her following laughter.

"Well," she explained, "you sort of give off a slouchish vibe, like big baggy sweaters and hole filled jeans, but you also seem like you care a lot about image and style. So I think you would always be comfortable, but also very well dressed. So, you know, preppy."

He opened his mouth to protest before he tilted his head, considering the words. Finally he laughed a little wryly and said, "Fair enough actually."

"Was I right?" she asked excitedly, and he laughed again before nodding.

"What else?" he asked, reaching out to idly play around on the keys to fill the silence.

"Hmm… you probably have a few close friends but are popular with lots of people."

His hands skittered uneasily across the keys, surprised by such a close observation. "Oh?" he inquired.

"Yeah, you care about people. You cared enough about me to watch out for me while I skated but were also understanding enough to get why I would want to skate so late at night. Those are good friend qualities, I imagine the people who know you like you a lot."

He kept playing his music, nodding slightly to himself. That was pretty close, or at least he liked to think so. She was very observant. "And the other part?" he pressed.

"You're funny," she supplied, "maybe people see you and your close friends and want to be friends too because you seem like fun?"

He half shrugged, that last observation a little farther off but still a good guess. He wondered how dangerous this little game could get for him. He could imagine worse things in life though then Mari catching on to him.

They continued to play, Marinette making random observations and him saying whether or not they were any good. She was pretty off about a few of them but he knew it was his own doing, it wasn't too unfair of her to call him a flirt since the one thing people mostly saw was him flirty with Ladybug. He was also a little flattered that she assumed he would be a very successful flirt, but he quickly told her that wasn't the case, with flirting at least. He liked to think that if he tried it with other girls he might be good at it, for ego's sake.

Eventually she had decided that he was nice, caring, preppy, awkward, and excitable.

His favorite part of the night was probably when she timidly asked him to play her song again, just before they intended to leave. He was more than happy too, stealing glances at her as he played now that he was sure he could do it well.

Towards the ends of the song though he could see her start to consider something again, watching him play piano. If he didn't know any better he might say she looked… conflicted.

In truth, Marinette was conflicted. She thought through her gathered list of Cat Noir's other self, flipping through possible names.

Adam? Percy? Lucas? He looked like a Lucas… the thoughts of it filled her mind. She sat there as her civilian self, wondering about Cat Noir's, feeling like she was… lying. She was Ladybug, sitting right beside him and he had no idea. She couldn't help but wonder if she had sat beside him just as blindly, so close but a million miles away at the same time.

The past week of time with Cat Noir had been much more than she expected… more than she had thought she might ever share with the feline. She had dragged him out onto the ice once or twice, trying to keep from laughing as he skittered all over, earning the name 'Slippy Kitty.' They talked about games… passions, piano and ice skating and design. She supposed… that it felt like she was closer to who he was underneath it all. She had never wondered who he was more than she did now…

She had never wanted to tell him who she was more.

Tikki's words from a long while past echoed in her head, and she wondered again if maybe she was right.

'A confession? Is that what your heart is telling you?'

Marinette watched as Cat Noir pulled on his gloves in the ending silence of her song, masking his humanity with claws and haughty grins… and she thought…

Maybe… maybe it was.


	4. Chapter 4

Adrien toyed with the ring on his finger through class, letting the cool metal slid against his skin but never removing it, he'd never do that. It was weird how simple looking it was, it was just a ring. A plain silver ring, but it held more importance than some historical buildings, more power than some countries. It might be light on his hand, but it was heavy on his mind. He didn't feel burdened by being Cat Noir, he felt freed by it but… it was being Adrien that was so forefront in his thoughts. He was Adrien Agreste, he was nice, caring, preppy, awkward, and excitable. He was everything on the list Marinette had made for him, and he was sitting right in front of her and she didn't even know. He didn't know what he expected to change or be different, but he did know that though three days had passed since he played her song for her he had the same dream every night. He'd meet her on her balcony, tell her who he was, and she'd smile. Every time.

He wanted to tell her.

He pinched the metal of the ring as a grimace set on his features, fighting to keep a huff from slipping out as the teacher lectured. He couldn't, he shouldn't he _knew_ that, so why was he even considering it so intensely? He knew why he couldn't tell people, it would put them at risk he was being _selfish_ but…

He glanced over his shoulder again for the dozenth time, looking at the way her hair settled in front of her face as she stared at her notes, face scrunched in thought. You could see so much of her in her eyes, what she liked and didn't, whether or not she respected or tolerated you. You could almost see yourself in them, as she stared back at him, eyes wide and red scattering across her cheeks.

He froze, realizing a second too late that she had looked up and caught him, the two of them caught in each other's eyes.

"Adrien! Eyes forward _please_."

The class erupted into laughter as he turned back around in his seat, face burning as the teacher scolded him for not paying attention. He could hear Nino snickering to his left and practically everyone else doing something similar.

God that was stupid, was she mad? She had no context to why he would be staring, hell _he_ barely did. He was so confused this was **stupid** why couldn't he just ignore it? Why was it so much more difficult to accept that she would never know he was Cat Noir just like everyone else? Why did that sound so awful?

Class started to draw to a close and he couldn't be more grateful to have an escape, already planning how he was going to get past Nino when the teacher made an announcement.

"Everyone! I know there are many very talented kids in this class, so I would like to remind you of the winter sports competitive skating competition that will be taking place at the end of the month! There are still spots open for similar events going on at the same time, so any hockey players in our group please remember that tryouts are still going, but there is a lack of talented ice skaters to represent our fine city's youth this year. So please, if you know anyone from the ages of 10 to 20 who would like to enter, the final try out is this week so please take a flyer. Thank you again!"

Adrien was glued to his seat, everything going silent as he suddenly had tunnel vision only focused on the thin stack of flyers on the teacher's desk, before all at once he lunged for one, snatching it up so he could read it closer. His mouth popped open slightly, before turning into a wide and crooked grin.

Only one thing though.

How in the world was he going to convince her to go for it?

Because of _course_ he was going to tell Marinette about this OF COURSE he was, there was no way he couldn't. At least it was public so he might be able to pretend to know about it as Cat Noir but, his mind jumbled to a halt. How was he going to get her to enter? Maybe entering was too ambitious, maybe he could just take her to watch? Yeah, buy tickets to the competition, they could go together except… well he couldn't. Cat Noir showing up to watch the skaters would cause a commotion, but he didn't want to sneak in and deprive her of a good seat, _if_ she even wanted to go. He could ask her as Adrien but… having just been caught staring at her very publicly, and having been caught two times prior that day alone, it probably wouldn't go well.

But he had to do something, he had to mention it because… she deserved it. It was seriously that simple. The applause, the adoration, the respect, the awe. She deserved every bit of it.

He jumped when Nino laid a heavy hand across his shoulder, looking over at the flyer himself as they stood at the front of the class.

"Are you in to ice skating man? I knew you could fence and stuff I guess I shouldn't be surprised," Nino laughed, quirking an eyebrow when Adrien shrugged off his hand.

"No! It's not for me, to enter at least. I think Ice Skating is amazing but I'm a disaster at it myself, I can barely stay upright."

"Yeah me neither," Nino said dismissively, smirking as he prepared to address why he had really come over. "Anyways," but Adrien cut him off, suddenly running up to Alya and Marinette, the latter of which squeaked in surprise.

"H-hey guys!" he said charmingly, trying to relax and not look like any more of a creep than he had already managed that day.

"Hey Adrien," Alya spoke for the both of them, Marinette giving a small wave.

"Uh, well uh," Adrien held out the flyer for the girls to see, smiling at them, "were you two thinking of going to see this?"

"The ice skating thing?" Alya said with something like a smirk in her voice, "Not really no, not really my thing. I don't want to watch a bunch of girls dance around on some ice."

"It's more than that!" two voices rang in unison, leaping to defend the art. Adrien turned to Marinette, startled but pleased to see that she had spoken out as well, and he took the opening to grin at her.

"I totally agree! It's not just 'dancing around' it's beautiful! It takes insane talent and balance to be able to perform like ice skaters do, and the emotion tied to some of their dances is incredible!"

Alya was staring at him in disbelief, Nino shaking his head just at the edge of his peripheral vision with a smile on his face while Marinette gaped at him.

"Y-you like ice skating?" she stuttered out, pink dusting her cheeks in the same way it sometimes did when she got a little too cold while skating.

"I love it!" he hurried to say, excited that she didn't seem to think he was crazy for staring all day and doubly excited to be talking to her about her (albeit secret) passion outside of being Cat Noir. "It's amazing! I think Ice skaters are incredibly impressive, they are some of the top athletes out there."

"I'm an ice skater," she blurted out suddenly, Alya's eyes shooting wide and Nino smothering a laugh but Adrien wasn't deterred at all, beaming at her.

"That's amazing! As soon as you said you liked it I sorta guessed that, were you planning on entering the competition? It would be amazing to come and see you!"

Alya and Nino both gave him disbelieving looks because he seemed to be buying what they deemed to be a blatant lie, except he knew more than they did.

Marinette, who was now a blazing scarlet, appeared to have lost her grip on speech in general and he regretted putting her on the spot like that until she nodded, walking past him with a thousand yard stare to collect her own flyer.

"Yup," she said in a dazed voice, "I-I am… going to enter. Yes."

"That's great!" he cheered, genuinely excited. "I can't wait! You'll be perfect I'm sure," he tried to encourage her, not sure if he was coming off as weird but aware of how… startled she looked. He knew performing in front of crowds made her nervous, which would explain why she seemed so pale but… why did she say yes than? Had he put her in a rough spot? Or was she really intending on entering?

She walked past him with that same far off look, Alya trading glances with Nino before hurrying after her friend with the backpack she had forgotten in hand.

"Dude can you _be_ more obvious?" Nino's voice cut in, and despite his cluttered thoughts Adrien still had the presence of mind to scowl at him.

"It's not _like that_ Nino!"

"'you'll be perfect, I'm sure.'" Nino mocked him, grinning all the while as Adrien groaned and grabbed his bag, Plagg secretly snickering as well out of sight.

"She IS really cute," Nino announced, earning a sharp 'shut up!' for his troubles which only made him laugh more. Seriously, Adrien had no idea just how deep he was, but he was going to notice real soon when he realizes the only time he can breathe is when she's there, that's just the kind of look he had in his eye. Like she was everything and he just didn't get it yet.

Freakin' oblivious…

/-/

Cat Noir landed on Marinette's balcony at 3:00 AM exactly, finding it amusing to time the click of his shoes against the stone to the exact second the clock ticked over. He settled in, leaning against the railing and eagerly anticipating watching Marinette develop her routine for the contest, but after about ten minutes he frowned. She was usually just as sharp as he was about their meetings, the hatch popping open as soon as he'd land.

Out of a mix between concern and curiosity he strolled over to the hatch, crouching so that he could peer down into her room, his view mostly restricted to the currently empty bed.

Was she home? She didn't tell him the meetup was canceled, but then again she didn't exactly have his number.

He tapped the glass lightly with his claw, a hollow click echoing into the silence of the night. When he got no response he spent another moment deliberating before he pulled at the hatch, pleased to find it unlocked.

He was greeted by a rush of warm, sweet smelling air that usually filled her home and he poked his head in, viewing the room upside down as he scanned the space for Marinette.

He found her, pacing back and forth with her skates in her hands on the open floor near her computer desk, that faraway look from after school replaced with blatant panic.

"Uuuh, Princess?" he called out, flinching himself when she jumped and flipped around to look at him.

"Ah, ah! Is it already 3? Oh man," she whimpered, turning away from him again to continue her pacing.

Cat took that as a sign they wouldn't be leaving right away and jumped down, closing the hatch quietly behind him and leaping silently down to ground level. He sort of watched helplessly for a moment, tracking her movement like a cat tracking a laser pointer before he finally asked, "Is everything… okay?"

"NO!" she hissed, and he flinched, eyes wide as he pulled his arms close against his chest defensively. "Everything is not alright I'm an idiot! Cat I signed up for an ice skating competition! A **real one**. With _people_."

He gaped at her for a moment, at a loss. Was this STILL what was upsetting her? Was it really that bad?

"If you don't want to do it don't!" he said a little sharply, his annoyance at himself for stressing her out so much leaking into his voice.

"I have to!" she moaned, hugging her skates and speaking as if to them, her voice falling quiet. "I told Adrien I would."

"I don't- I mean _he_ wouldn't want you to be scared of competing, I'm sure. If, if he didn't understand that he would be a jerk! Just tell him you're not doing it! Yeah, if this uh, Adrien guy doesn't get that then you shouldn't even be his friend. Which I'm assuming you are."

Aw yeah, good job Cat. Smooth as a cactus.

"I- I just…" Marinette stopped walking, turning to face his with such wide pleading eyes that his breathe actually caught in his throat. "I just _said it_ I just blurted it out to him. We were talking about the competition and he was talking so highly about ice skaters and I- I wanted to impress him so I just _said it_ but I **can't do it**."

Cat froze, meeting her gaze and feeling so exposed under it, like his mask had been ripped away, but it didn't seem that way to her. She still didn't know. And he still didn't understand.

"You were trying to impress him?"

He regretted his words the second he said them, seeing the anger flash in her eyes and remembering that though she might be small she was very capable. In what way he was unsure but his instincts said 'fear me'.

"Are you making fun of me? Because _you're one to talk_ -"

"No! No no its fine I was just, caught off guard is all. So you- you don't want to do this, you only said yes to impress this Adrien guy?"

"Now I have to go through with it and… and he'll _see me_ blow it. He'll be right there and I'll mess it up and- so many people will be there Cat, I'm not good enough."

"Hey- woah stop it," he suddenly cut in, stepping forward and grabbing her by the shoulders, forcing her to listen. "If you're nervous, okay, if you aren't a fan of crowds fine but DO NOT back out of this because you don't think you're good enough because you **are.** "

"Cat I-"

"No I'm serious! You keep saying you wouldn't be good but you should go for it! I know you're nervous and it scares you but if you don't do it don't let it be because you doubt yourself." He tried to pull the words together, to understand why he suddenly felt so warm. "When you skate it's… it's, look I'm not a poet. I don't have the right words or even know what to say but that's how it is! I watch you dance and I- I just don't know what to say. Poets don't have words for things like that."

He felt heat crawl up his neck and something heavy sit in his throat as overwhelming silence fell. She was tense under his hands, looking up at him in shock as he quickly took a step away, letting his hands drop to his sides.

"I-I, uh," he attempted to speak but the sounds all came out scattered, until he looked away, steading himself with a long heavy breath. "I think you can do it. I think you'd be perfect."

Marinette was still in shock, but her lips pulled into a small smile as she looked down at her skates.

After a while she said, "Perfect… Adrien said that too."

He didn't stiffen or shy away from the name, he wasn't made uncomfortable by how thin the veil between his worlds had stretched. In fact, all he wanted to say was, 'That's because I'm right.'

But he didn't.

Couldn't.

"We both believe in you Marinette," he hated to say, distancing himself from the name like it was someone else entirely. Sometimes it almost felt that way… not now though.

Marinette continued to examine her skates, looking at the faded blossoms that decorated the scuffed white body.

"Why?" she finally asked, drawing his attention. She tilted her head in that way of hers, as she asked in a voice that didn't quite make it a question. "Why do you believe in me?"

Something in his chest tightened, matching her eyes as she stared him down, her face… thoughtful. She said 'you', not 'you guys' or any other sort of plural. Maybe it was just because he was here, maybe he was reading too far in to the thoughtful expression, maybe he was just hoping too much for something he shouldn't. Hoping she might see him. Knowing she wouldn't.

"Cause you're the sort of girl worth believing in," he said quietly, more for himself than anything else. He marveled at how different this conversation was, how it was two completely different topics now. For her it was 'do you believe in me enough to support me in this competition?'

But for him, she asked, 'Do you really believe I'm the sort of girl you could tell?'

He stood by his answer, different though it was for them both.

He waited for her to speak again, not trusting himself to add anything more. She was slow to respond, sliding a finger along the flat of the blade on her skates. Before finally she sighed.

"I'm always going to be nervous… but… I think I can do it."

He smiled, glad to see the tension start to drain from her.

"The tryout is this week right?" he asked, and when she nodded he let his smile slip into a grin. "We should probably practice then huh?"

She laughed, the sound breathy but genuine as she nodded again. "Yeah… yeah you're right… Thanks, by the way. W-will… uh, will you go? To the competition?"

He threw his arms wide, his grin starting to infect her as he exclaimed, "Of course I will! I'll be there to cheer you on Princess, even if you can't see me. Can't very well show up dressed in black, but I'll be there."

"As a civilian?" she asked, the idea obviously intriguing her, and his smile didn't falter.

"Yep, so don't worry. Shall we go?"

She laughed again and walked past him towards her bed, calling over her shoulder, "Yeah, let's get started."

/-/

Cat Noir paced anxiously outside of 'Le Grand Palais de Glaces', the building where the competition would be taking place by the end of the month. He shouldn't be anxious, he and Marinette, well Marinette, had been working so hard. They barely got any sleep at all, he actually had to risk bringing homework on some nights just to stay on top of things but he knew she was too busy to look too closely at his history homework. She practiced endless structure, hammering her form into perfection. He scolded her for the blisters on her feet, but she never fussed too much when he carried her home. He would frown when he saw her massaging her feet through her shoes at school, people asking her why she looked so wiped out. He did his best to avoid suspicion, but hiding his own exhaustion was hard work, and it just made him even more tired. Luckily, or perhaps unluckily, she was too tired herself to notice.

She had worked on a simple but elegant routine to a song called 'Nuvole Bianche', one he personally thought was… well… okay, the song that is. Marinette made anything look good when she set a dance to it. He supposed he was just jealous.

Now though he waited for the results, unable to hear what had happened after her dance was completed, flawlessly he might add. She didn't falter _once_.

Did it look suspicious that a superhero was pacing on the rooftop of a building? Absolutely. However there was very little else he could think about at that moment, even if he would get a few pointed questions from his Lady later on.

His ears swiveled to catch the sound of large grand doors being pushed open and he dashed to the side of the building to look down at the small crowd that filtered from inside.

There were many girls and a few boys expressing a wide variety of emotions ranging from utter defeat to absolute jubilation. One not very nice young lady was gloating in the face of a few of the other potential competitors who dragged their feet, and he could guess the rankings there. A few people looked relieved, others looked like they just wanted to go home, and Marinette-

Marinette! He spotted her at the back of the crowd, her skates in her hands as she walked down the steps with only her tights covering her feet.

Was it rude to pluck a young girl from a crowd and clamber back up the side of a building while onlookers gasped at the kidnapping?

Probably.

Was it a little funny as well?

Absolutely.

"C-Cat Noir!" she shouted, "You put me down, RIGHT N- I am wearing a _skirt_ don't you **dare** -!" but he just adjusted his hold to preserve her dignity and keep her covered as he finished his assent.

"You can't just-!" she tried to yell, but then she was on her feet out of sight on the roof facing a very eager feline.

"Well!?" he demanded, tail shifting erratically as she leveled him with a glare, arms crossed as sassily as she could manage while still holding her skates.

"Don't ever do that again!" she tried to forge on, but he whined her name until she caved, a smirk settling on her lips.

"I made the cut," she said simply, grinning at his joy before she couldn't resist adding, "sorta set the bar actually."

"Hahaha that's how you do it!" he shouted, dashing forward and picking her up in the air, spinning her as they both laughed excitedly. "I told you you'd be perfect! I told you!"

He was reluctant to set her down but eventually did so, basking in the glory of her joyful pink-tinged face as she giggled uncontrollably.

"I made the competition!" she exclaimed again, leaping forward to hug him as they both continued to laugh.

"We have the rest of the month to prepare!" he beamed, "Are you going to use the same routine?"

"I don't know!" she admitted, still riding the high of her victory too much to worry. "But we have some time."

"You're right," he agreed, his heart fluttering strangely when she used 'we' like they were a team. However as he thought on it he stood up straight, squaring his shoulders and saying with some authority, "But you're taking a break. You ran yourself way too hard this week, you should take it easy for a few days, no skating."

Her mouth popped open as she immediately moved to protest.

"I said we have time but I should still practice!" she demanded, but he shook his head.

"No I mean it, you could hurt yourself if you carry on like this you already have blisters. You earned a break, I'm only saying for a few days."

"But C-"

"Please Mari?" he asked, his seriousness leaking into his tone until she sighed, tilting her head as she looked up at him with an amused smile.

"Always taking care of me huh kitty?"

His answering smile was instant and effortless, his tone playful as he said, "Always."

"Fine then," she agreed, walking pointedly towards the edge of the roof. "I'm assuming you'll insist on walking me home even in daylight?"

"Of course, but we should go by rooftop so as not to cause a scene," he said with a grin, holding open his arms as she rolled her eyes.

"That means carrying me?"

"You're so clever Princess."

Another heavy, exaggerated sigh, then a smile.

"Fine."


	5. Chapter 5

In the dead of night the ice rink of the competition grounds glittered in the filtered moonlight, polished and maintained so not a single fault would exist on its surface. It was so well kept that many of the rinks keepers would argue with each other as to why exactly there were marks and imperfections dotted across it when morning rolled around if they were so sure they had fixed it the night before.

"This was a good call Cat," a female voice called in the night, coming from a lone skater as she glided across the ice. "Having our practice sessions on the competition rink, the dimensions are slightly different."

"I have my moments," Cat Noir replied, his voice mixed with the echoing roll of directionless music coming from the piano he sat at, positioned on a separate level but effortless to hear from the rink.

Marinette leapt high in the air before twirling and landing on one foot, rocketing across the ice before she flipped again to glide just inside the walls. Cat Noir played along to her repetitive practice with whatever came to mind, just plucking away and enjoying to harmony that existed between her movements and the music he played. However reflecting on that harmony brought a sour cloud over him one again for the hundredth time that night, only emphasized when Marinette called out to him again.

"Can you play the song please?"

He turned his head to look down at the rink, Marinette positioned in the center and ready to begin as soon as the tune was in place, looking at him expectantly.

He fought back a stubborn pout as he replied, "Which one? _Your_ song? Or the one you'll be dancing to."

He was looking away now but he could practically sense the way she huffed and crossed her arms.

"Cat!" she half shouted, half whined. "Don't be so childish you _know_ why I can't dance to your song."

" _Your_ song," he corrected her, his cat ears flat against his hair in his disappointment and he could hear her sigh again regardless.

"My song," she allowed, waiting until he looked back at her to continue. "You're the only one who knows how to play it or even what it sounds like, and having a superhero play with me at the contest would sway the judges!"

"You don't know that," he pouted, but he knew she was right, and she knew he knew she was right.

"Having the famous Cat Noir play piano for some random girl would draw attention to us both and my scores might not be fair as a result. No one actually knows that we're friends, to them there is no context as to why you would know me."

"I know I know," he sighed, settling his bare hands over the keys again. His thoughts churned in a bad humor and he knew he was being silly. Some part of him though had still hoped that somehow she might dance to Ice Flower for the whole world to see, or at least Paris. He was just being… possessive, or stubborn or something. Still though, it was disappointing that she was so adamantly opposed since seeing a Superhero play for her would be unfair to anyone else participating.

He didn't care about anyone else skating though. He sighed again, before starting the tune she had requested.

It was 'Melodia Africana III' by Ludovico Einaudi and he had spent his several day break from escorting Mari to the ice rink to learn it at her request. He still didn't have it mastered but the more they both practiced the more fluid it became, to the point where any mistakes were hard to notice at all. It was a gorgeous and moving piece, fitting for her performance but still… he liked his better.

They got halfway through before he heard her fall, and the song cut short abruptly as his head snapped to the side, watching her body slide almost limply and collide sharply with the wall.

"M-Mari?" he asked, stunned at first, before he was on his feet, leaping down from the piano's raised platform and sprinting to the ice. "Marinette!"

She had already lifted her head by the time he vaulted the barrier, skidding to her side as she collected her wits. Her simple sweats and shirt were wet from her fall and the skin of her arms was red from the cold, the ponytails of her hair coming undone as she shook her head.

"Are you alright!?" he demanded but she was already smiling, looking at him with perfectly clear eyes.

"Yes of course I am it was just a little fall Cat," she teased him, grinning at his concern but losing confidence as he bowed his head in relief. "Hey I'm serious! I'm okay you've seen me take worse falls."

"Yeah and I didn't like any of those either," he spoke up in a dark voice, the two of them still crouched on the ice. When he looked up his eyes were just this side of panicked. "Do you have any idea how injured ice skaters can get doing jumps like that? At the last winter Olympics- !"

"Cat I told you to stop looking up those videos you'll traumatize yourself," Marinette sighed, grabbing the wall to push herself up and shaking her head good-naturedly when Cat Noir insisted on helping.

"I couldn't help it," he whined, shaking with some awful memory, "it was scattered with clickbait. 'Top 15 most horrifying Skating Injuries' and '5 scariest Ice Skating lacerations'. It was awful."

"Why did you look at them!?" she demanded, stomping a skate on the ice and placing her fists on her hips, glaring at the frightened kitten who stood unsteadily on the ice still.

"I was trying to look up that move you told me about and _there were like a hundred reports of injuries_ do you seriously need it in your dance?! That's the one you messed up that made you fall right? Can't you just skip it?"

Marinette sighed heavily, trying to sympathize with how worried she knew Cat was. After a moment she said, "Alright I'll forget about the backflip but I need this dance to be impressive Cat."

"It is impressive!" he insisted, trying to stomp his foot as well and almost falling as a result. "You're impressive the whole thing is great, you don't need to add death defying as a wow factor."

"I said I'll skip it! It's just- ugh," she groaned, skating away from him but aware that he was following behind very carefully. She took a few seconds to gather her thoughts, thinking through her routine and the song and everything before saying, "Is it enough? I want it to be emotional, interesting. I want it to draw people in."

She was unsurprised to hear Cat Noir sigh again from behind her as he often did when she started discussing the impact she wanted.

"So you want some stupid dangerous move to impress that Adrien kid?" he huffed, and he could see her visibly bristle, her skin still red from the cold (at least that's what he assumed).

"I'm not _using that move_ ," she said for the third time, whirling to face him, "and don't get… jealous! Or whatever that is."

Cat Noir couldn't stop the chuckle before it slipped out, saying, "Being jealous of Adrien Agreste would be a waste of energy believe me."

"And what's that supposed to mean?"

"Don't get defensive," he countered, slipping his way over to the wall so he could sit on it. "It doesn't matter. I'm just saying like I've said a hundred times before, _forget about him_. Just do this for you okay? I bet you he will love it."

'Because I love it and I'm him' he added mentally for himself, ever frustrated by how ridiculously convoluted he had made this for himself.

"Let's take a break alright? You need to relax," he finally said again, swinging his legs over the barrier so he could start to head back towards the piano. "I know just what to do."

He heard Marinette muttering something under her breath like, "I don't need to relax you need to relax…" but he ignored it, circling around the rink so he could wait for her to waddle over on her skates. He grabbed her by the waist, using his staff to quickly bring them up to the piano's platform without making her use any unnecessary steps with her skates till on. Once there they fell in to their usual pattern ever since they had switched to using the competition grounds, which was her sitting comfortably on one end of the bench with her back to the keys and himself sat in the center. They were so close he could feel the heat of her shoulder pressed against his own, and whether it was conscious or not he couldn't tell but she always ended up leaning in to him, her head so close to his shoulder it would be simple for her to close the space and rest one against the other. She hadn't done so yet, but part of him wondered if she might, given the time.

They didn't talk at first, she just waited for him to begin patiently, staring off into space as she continued to work herself up about the contest. He was used to this at this point, the contest itself was only a week away and she got more and more nervous as time went on, but he knew something that always calmed her down no matter what.

Without any further hesitation his fingers found the keys, sinking into the instrument to pull forth the slow flowing sound of her song, changed to sound almost like a lullaby.

Her reaction was instant, her weight falling more into his shoulder, her head dangling close to almost rest against it but not quite. Though she was facing away he could tell she was smiling to herself, listening to the slightly altered but incredibly familiar tune. As soon as she was more relaxed he relaxed as well, freed for the moment of his constant worry. Whether he was worried about himself and everything he had to accomplish or her and the dozens of things there was to be concerned about he was always tensed, but when he played her song they both felt peace from it. The song itself was like a sigh, a release of tension, telling them both all was well.

Marinette listened to the song as it echoed out and thought nothing of closing the distant between them, only aware that she was resting her head against his shoulder when she looked up and saw him smiling at the keys as he played. She considered pulling away but didn't, unsure of why but choosing not to question it. Her song was not the time to worry, it was a time for rest or a time for skating. No point fretting over nothing… as confusing as that nothing might be.

She stayed there for the remainder of the song, and the time it took him to play it again, extending their time without complaint from either of them.

Neither of them knew what to think of that.

Even after she returned to her practice, and even after he told her goodnight and watched her vanish into her room, something about that interaction stuck with him. It had been a little bit more, a little bit closer, a little bit nicer. She respected his desire for her to be safe and cut out moves that made him uncomfortable, she asked him again like she did every night if he would be there on competition day. And he told her like he did every night that he would be. He watched her leave to return to her room and thought again of the things he couldn't say.

He really hated that word.

Couldn't.

There were plenty of things people couldn't do. However he could usually see the reasons attached. You can't just hit someone, that's a violation of their personal health and safety which is inherently wrong. You can't take something that's not yours because that's stealing. You can't always speak your mind because sometimes it's safer not to.

He couldn't tell Marinette the truth because…

Because he couldn't.

He couldn't share that with her, he just couldn't. And it drove him insane.

This was all stupid, he hadn't obsessed this much over identities since he initially fell for Ladybug… a parallel that did not go unnoticed, and continued to frustrate him. It was a growing distraction in his classes, wondering why it was so important to him, wondering why he couldn't just forget about it. It wasn't necessarily that he couldn't, he _refused_ to forget about it. He didn't want to, he just wanted to tell her.

What exactly did he expect to change? What did he _want_ to change? What did he stand to gain? What did he stand to lose?

It was so frustrating…

It was in class three days before the competition that he decided something. He was flirting between sides so much lately that he needed to be reminded as to why he had ever been so resolute in the first place. If anyone was going to set him straight and make him forget about this entire dilemma it was Ladybug. She was the posterchild for secret identities, keeping it secret was something she had always vehemently defended. She would probably be upset with him for even considering it, but maybe that's what he needed.

So that night, when he was meant to meet up with his Lady for a patrol, he was waiting for her when she arrived.

"Cat Noir?" he heard her call out, surprised that he had beaten her there. He stood waiting on their usual rooftop, not quite able to look at her, and she caught on immediately that something was amiss.

"Is everything alright?" she spoke again, walking across the burgundy tiles to stand next to him. When he didn't speak she drew close to his side, leaning her weight into his arm and looking up at him, flinching slightly when he looked down in surprise. She quickly backed up, remembering a little too late that that sort of familiarity didn't exist between them, or rather, between masks. At least… not all the time.

"Um," he faltered, still caught off guard by her casual closeness, before turning more towards her. "Yeah. I'm fine."

"Are you lying?" she pressed, aware that he made no attempt to start their patrol, still rooted to the roof by what he hadn't yet said.

"I don't lie to you," he said unprovoked, looking down into her face and taking the moment to admire the deepness of her eyes. She really did seem concerned. -

Humor crossed her face and she smiled, trying to ease the atmosphere of the chilly winter night. "I know. You're a lot of things Cat Noir but you've always been trustworthy."

To her surprise something in his face tightened, and he looked back down into the street, tracking passing foot traffic with glazed distance in his expression.

Finally he said, "Yeah but there is still a lot I don't tell people."

Silence, between them that is. Paris rattled on with its symphony of sound, unaffected by the individual plights of its people. That was the comforting thing about buildings and streets, they stayed the same regardless of what happened within them. Even if you felt like your entire world was flipped and scattered a street would always have the same path, and a building would sit on the same corner.

"Cat what is it?" she asked again, her voice slightly harder, not quiet demanding but coming across the same way.

It made him smile a little.

"I'm saying we both have secrets my lady, we have to. It's the name of the game."

"Is this about one of those secrets?" she inquired, her voice a little guarded and he didn't blame her. He was being more than a little dramatic, but that always happened when he had a lot on his mind.

He let her question hang between them for a while before addressing it, letting himself feel cold when exposed to the harshness of winter. He wondered if Marinette was working on her homework. Maybe she was out with friends.

"It's about identities," he finally admitted, turning to face her so he could gauge her expression. "Our lives that don't involve throwing super freaks through walls."

To his genuine shock, she smirked. "What you don't think I do just as much hero work without the spots?"

He gaped at her for a second, before taking the slight ease of tension she offered, smiling back at her. "Now isn't that something to imagine. A young lady with shopping bags in hand, kicking a pick pocket through a pane of glass."

He got exactly the reaction he desired when she scoffed harshly, glaring playfully at him.

"Do you seriously think that's how I am?"

He chuckled, admiring her indignant attitude before shaking his head. "No, no… that doesn't seem to fit."

She smiled for a little before gesturing for him to continue. "I doubt that's all you wanted to say."

He breathed out heavily, still smiling slightly but in a wistful way now as he gazed at the tiles between their feet.

"To be honest I'm surprised you haven't shut me down yet," he admitted, seeing her shoulders move with silent laughter in his peripheral.

"You want to tell someone," she said suddenly, making him go stiff in shock. "…don't you?"

He looked up at her quickly, his eyes wide when he found her standing totally calm, a smile that was almost… nervous, playing on her face.

"H-how, how did you-?" he tried to ask, but her soft laughter cut him off, his eyes following her as she walked easily towards the edge of the building to peer over into the street.

"That look on your face," she explained, her eyes soft and understanding when she looked back at him. "It's the same look I've seen on my own face every time I've looked in the mirror for a while now."

He tensed, trying to process what she meant by that when she asked, "Why do you want to tell this person?"

He stopped, faced with something so heavy all at once, but she was patient.

Finally he said, "Because… because they deserve to know? I-I… I _want_ them to know… I don't even know if that makes sense…"

"You want to tell them because you want to share that with them. Maybe… that's enough of a reason."

Ladybug's words hung in the cold air like they had frozen and become something tangible, something with weight that Cat Noir could feel press against him. It had a very particular chill, like the ice of an ice rink against his knees, and a very particular weight… like the head of a girl he knew very well, resting against his shoulder. Her statement became something very real, something that could be compromised or broken, but also nourished.

"My lady?" he asked, no real question attached to the nickname, but she smiled in response anyways.

"I guess I understand…" she added, looking out over Paris in that distant way she had. "Things have changed for me too. I also have someone I want to share that with…"

He felt electricity spark in his legs, making him feel stiff and rooted to the spot, and something that was undoubtedly a potent kind of jealousy all at once gnawed at his heart.

There was someone else… someone that she trusted enough… to tell.

Someone she trusted more than him.

Her laugh interrupted his sudden pain, and he knew that he had been completely transparent, feeling her eyes on him as he stared past her into space.

"Don't be jealous kitty…" she chuckled, surprising him by reaching out to touch his shoulder, her fingers warm and soothing. "This isn't all as complicated as we think it is. There is no one I trust more than you, okay?"

After listening to her words he managed to meet her gaze, his voice thick and heavy.

"But there is someone you trust enough… to-," he didn't finish, he just watched the mirth in her eyes.

"There is no one I trust more than you," she repeated, quietly entertained by something she hadn't yet shared.

Beneath her touch he began to relax, keeping his eyes on hers until his anger left him completely. Only then did she ask, "So, who is this person you trust enough to tell your biggest secret?"

Despite all the confused mixed up emotions sitting in his chest he still smiled slightly.

"You expect me to share when I know you won't yourself?"

"Mines different," she insisted, and he rolled his eyes at her, only tensing when she said, "Is it that ice skater you've been running off to every night?"

He flinched so hard she immediately burst into laughter, her eyes tearing up as he desperately fumbled with his words, _demanding_ to know what she was talking about but only giving himself away.

"Hey, hey it's fine!" she laughed, holding him by the shoulders as he blushed beneath his mask, embarrassed to have been caught out. "I think Marinette is trust worthy," she continued, that same mirth in her eyes. "She won't tell, I'm sure of it."

"Y-yeah I know!" he insisted, taking a step away from her and staring off into the city. "I know she won't tell, that's why I want to…"

Ladybug smiled when she noticed he was staring in the direction of the bakery, where she was supposedly still at, maybe asleep already waiting for him so they could go practice. However as fun as she thought all this was… it was also very important.

"So when are you going to tell her?" she asked, watching him carefully.

"Not now," he said easily, nodding to himself. "There is a contest, an ice skating competition that she's been working really hard for. I don't want to distract her, so uh, I suppose I'll wait until that's over. Then when she wins, cause she will," he saw Ladybug smile out of the corner of his eye. "Then I'll tell her."

She nodded, hands on her hips as he asked the obvious next question.

"When will you be telling this mystery person?"

"Probably around the same time…" she said evasively, deep consideration on her face as he saw for the first time that she was nervous about it. "That would probably be best…"

"Are you unsure if this person will keep it a secret?"

"No, I'm sure he will," she said instantly, his small spite of jealously flaring up again when he learned it was a guy she had so much faith in. "That's not it. There isn't really… a problem. I'm just nervous is all. I would have told him a lot sooner if that wasn't the case. I know I can trust him."

"Well… I'm sure it will all be fine," he tried to comfort her, unable to look at her as he wrestled with his emotions. She said there was no one she trusted more than him… why would she say that if it clearly wasn't true? Or was it true and this was just as uncomplicated as she implied?

Who was he kidding… this was the most complicated thing he had ever been a part of.

Ladybug said nothing for a while, before saying suddenly, "We both have a lot on our minds Cat, why don't I take patrol tonight? You can head home, I'll call you if anything comes up."

He didn't respond right away, knowing she was giving him an out since his jealously was so clear, but he swallowed and gritted his teeth before saying, "No, I'm alright. Let's go together."

"Are you sure?" she asked, looking up at him as he straightened his back, glad to earn his smile.

"Of course my lady, we're a team."

They split a grin between them before running off to start their usual route, the air both heavier and lighter for their little conversation. Cat's thoughts were clouded of his dream version of Marinette, and how she would smile when he told her. Now though it was a little more realistic, with her sitting at the end of a piano bench with a shocked look on her face, before finally she would giggle and say "I should have known."


	6. Chapter 6

"You know," a voice that unmistakably belonged to Alya called out, a teasing lilt in her voice, "you've never _once_ talked about ice skating. Never ever, not even in passing like 'Oh it's a little chilly out Alya by the way I'm like a professional ice skater!'"

Marinette sighed heavily for the hundredth time that morning alone and straightened up from her hunched position over her desk to turn towards her best friend, who was sat cross legged on her lounge.

"It never came up," she defended weakly, shrugging her shoulders and containing a slight smile at Alya's irritated huff.

"You never brought it up! Being super bizarrely talented at something is kinda the sort of thing you bring up!"

"I just never brought it up! And I have never described my skill level as 'bizarrely talented', you made that up."

Marinette turned back to working on her contest outfit, which lay spread out in shimmering folds on her workspace. She continued to clean up any small mistakes she could spot, resigning herself to Alya's good-tempered outrage that had slowly built up over the course of the month.

"All the names of those insane maneuvers you've been telling me about!? I count that as bizarrely talented, especially since the first I ever heard of it was when you randomly entered a competition." Alya raised her hands to start ticking things off, staring into space as she counted. "Cantilever, catch-foot, camel spin, bracket turns, fan spirals, flip jumps, something insane called _hydroblading_ which is where…" she pulled out her phone for reference, "a skater glides on a deep edge with the body stretched in a very low position, almost horizontal to the ice." She blinked once, still staring at her phone like it had to be wrong. "Are you going to do that at all? I can't even picture that."

Marinette peaked over her shoulder, raising an eyebrow as she was admittedly impressed. "Not in this routine. I'm surprised Alya, I thought ice-skating wasn't your thing."

Alya didn't even look up from her phone, flipping through dozens of tabs she had open on a daily basis, saying, "You find out your friend is a closet pro at something you take notes, if you're into this I'm into this especially if it's my girls competition day. I need to know enough to be able to tell _why_ you're the best when you win this thing."

At the mention of the contest that would be happening in just five hours Marinette groaned, sinking low to the ground and thumping her head against the desk. Alya glanced up from her phone at the sound and rolled her eyes, moving to pull Marinette back into a standing position.

"Come on didn't you say you blew the other girls out of the water at tryouts? I haven't even seen it yet and I know you're going to be amazing so try and relax!"

Marinette looked like she was going to sink again so Alya grabbed her firmly by the shoulders, soon becoming Marinette's comforting shoulder as she cried, "What am I even thinking!? Adrien is going to be there, watching _me_!"

Alya patted her friend on the back, rolling her eyes again and chuckling. "Well you really don't have anyone but yourself to blame for that."

"Not helping…" she mumbled, letting Alya support her weight as she mourned the loss of her self-confidence.

As Alya pet her hair she glared sullenly at her contest wear, extremely proud of it in design but seeing it as the symbol of her impending doom.

It had delicate spiraling black floral like designs stretched across it, sleeveless with a simple neckline and an elegant black lace skirt. She might have taken the 'Ice Flower' idea and run a little far with it… but she looked forward to wearing it. That is except for the skating part.

She groaned again and Alya sighed, pushing Mari a little to hold her at arm's length and fix her with a patented Alya stare.

"Listen girl, you're going to look super cute in that outfit and you're going to skate your heart out. People are going to cry, men are going to propose, and Adrien is going to shove them all aside and pull you into his arms telling you how beautiful you are okay? You _know_ you can do this."

Alya dropped one hand, reaching into her pocket and pulling out three little golden bells that chimed softly in her palm. "I got them like you asked, so finish up your outfit and put it out of your mind okay?"

Marinette's eyes fixed on the three golden bells, her face feeling slightly hot as her heart skipped unevenly. It had been stupid, but she had a sudden whim the night before. She knew he was going to be there… without the mask, somewhere in the building. She couldn't say he had helped her… she couldn't dance to the song he had composed. She wanted some silent protest that said 'I owe this all to Cat Noir,'… well, maybe not silent… maybe something with a quiet chime. She wanted him to know she was grateful, in a way that didn't work with words.

"Thanks…" she muttered, her thoughts distant and fixed on the quiet ice she had grown used too. The bright green eyes in a mask that tracked her as she danced… the name that belonged to him that she didn't yet know. The name she would know soon… as soon as the results were in.

Maybe not all of her anxiety came from performing itself then.

Marinette turned and set the bells down with a gentle clatter on her desk, looking at how they caught the light for a second and finding black ribbons to lace them all together. Then she looped the ribbon back on itself and made a hair tie of it before setting it back down.

"Yeah," she agreed, turning and heading towards her stairs that led into the rest of the house, "let's forget about it for now. It's not like I can back out now anyways."

"That's the spirit!"

'A- Out front,' was all Adrien's text said as he sent it, the plain message popping up under Nino's contact before he locked his phone, nervously shifting in his seat. He looked out of the car window, the vehicle idling outside of the apartment buildings where Nino lived and waiting for its one additional passenger before it could depart for the competition grounds. Adrien was conflicted, pulling at his jacket's zipper just for anything to distract him but his mind was flooded anyways. He was _extremely_ excited, he couldn't wait to see Marinette's carefully practiced dance performed in front of all those people. To say he was proud of her was an understatement, she was putting aside all fear for this he wanted to make a plaque. So where as part of him was bouncing from anticipation another part was anxious. Not for her performance, he knew she would be flawless, but because he didn't have his mask on. He was attending as himself, but… his eyes dropped to the floor of the car.

She had done this to impress him, why he still had absolutely no idea but so many times when they had been practicing she would say something like, 'Adrien's going to be watching I- I can't mess up!' or 'That's not good enough…' and it drove him insane. He wasn't even sure if it was the crowds at this point that had her worried, part of him thought that it was _him_ that was freaking her out so much. He hated it, he hated her being so frightened of… of somehow disappointing him! HIM, the guy who had watched her practice and practice a hundred times in complete _awe_. But she didn't know, and how could he tell her? It might have been incentive to tell her _before_ the competition so she wouldn't be so afraid but she had entered for… him. If he revealed himself as Adrien before the contest it might make it even worse. What was going to happen when he did it afterwards well… it somehow just seemed better. He had hope it would go well but, well there was always the chance it _didn't_ but being anxious about revealing himself was a completely different set of anxiety inducing insanity. For now he just wanted to get to the ice rink, and watch her stun hundreds of people. He just didn't want her to be afraid… but he had no idea of how to fix it.

He jumped in surprise when the door opposite him opened and Nino climbed inside, Gorilla swinging the door shut behind him before returning to the driver's seat. Adrien did his best to look normal, but Nino paused, raising an eyebrow.

"Uh… hey?" he asked, already suspicious of why Adrien looked… he didn't even know. Tense? Excited?

"Hey!" Adrien called back, flashing a grin that was super natural but Nino seemed skeptical anyways before shrugging and deciding that whatever could make a smile look that creepy he probably didn't want to stick his nose into.

"Pumped to watch Mari?" Nino said conversationally, looking out at the street as the Gorilla started to head towards its destination. "According to Alya it's gonna be something to see."

"Yeah, I had no idea she even skated," Adrien flat out lied, attempting to forget about his worries.

"Neither did anyone else, I've never even heard her talk about it before. But she must be good, like she made the tryouts and stuff. Even entered the competition, though her reasons were different then wanting to skate probably."

"What?" Adrien asked, but Nino just laughed, shaking his head and rolling his eyes.

"Forget it man you wouldn't get it even if I told you."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Adrien demanded crossly, but Nino just laughed again before starting to hum a song Adrien recognized as being titled 'He Hasn't Got a Clue' under his breath.

They were dropped off in front 'Le Grand Palais de Glaces' and shouted an appreciative thank you to the Gorilla before heading inside, falling in steps with the dozens of people funneling inside.

"I had no idea so many people were in to ice skating," Nino spoke up, holding his hat and headphones protectively as the crowds got thicker and thicker.

"There are competitors from all over, a lot of people take it really seriously. It would draw tourists from all parts of the city, especially since it's free," Adrien theorized, trying to stick close to his friend since the cavernous space of the building looked completely foreign to him. Over-night gigantic viewing stands had been erected, encircling the ice and preparing seats for potentially thousands of people. It was actually a little overwhelming, considering he had only known the place in a very dark and quiet setting.

Adrien and Nino bumped shoulders a little roughly since Nino was staring at his phone now, so Adrien took hold of his shoulder and put himself in charge of navigating as Nino reported, "Alya says she has seats saved for us at center ice. She's been fighting everyone who tries to take them since they are probably the best viewing seats so we should probably hurry."

"Easier said than done," Adrien muttered, his voice lost in the rolling sound of the crowd as he continued to make his way through. Eventually they made it to an unoccupied stretch of ground and made steady time in front of the bleachers, keeping an eye out until they saw a red head girl waving her phone in the air.

"Hey Alya thanks for the seats!" Nino called as they made it up the steps, claiming the spot next to the reporter right away.

"I had to fight a pushy guy and his dumb friends for it but look at that view!" she squealed, throwing her hands wide and presenting the absolutely perfect view of the ice in front of them.

"These really are perfect seats nice job," Adrien praised her, looking out over the huge crowd as people started sitting down. It was like watching hundreds of marbles flow down a ramp, branching out in all different directions and flashing all kinds of colors. He was glad that Marinette was performing on the first day of the event, he was sure it would be the biggest crowd.

Adrien looked down when he heard the rustling of paper and saw Alya leaning across Nino so all three of them could read the directory.

"Okay…" she hummed, "it looks like Marinette is the fifth ice skater, but that's after all the opening stuff. Luckily the solo performers go up first so we won't have to wait too long, could still be an hour or so though."

"Melodia Africana III…" Nino said aloud as he read it, "that's her piece right?"

"Yeah I've never actually heard it before, must be good though."

"It's okay," Adrien couldn't help but add, turning away from his friends as he continued to people watch. That little kid two rows down was leaning reeeaally far bac- yup, there he goes.

As Nino and Alya continued to chat he searched around the ice's edge until he found his piano, or well... _the_ piano he had grown fond of using. It had been elevated even more so and had all sorts of wires and mics attached to it so it could be heard from all over if a piano piece was being played. It was a favorite among ice skaters, especially since the competition boasted a very accomplished pianist. He had heard that they were telling all their skaters that they could have live music if they wanted, which was part of the reason Marinette had stuck with a piano song.

Movement by the piano caught his eye and with a slight jolt even with the distance he recognized his piano teacher. The old dust like man was settling into his seat at the bench with a thick binder in his hands, probably filled with his sheet music. It made sense, his father didn't pay for second best so it was understandable that he would be a notable accompanist for hire. He smiled, at least he knew Marinette's dance wouldn't be compromised by shoddy playing.

"Nino _don't listen to_ _ **music**_ ," Alya scolded harshly, and Adrien turned to see Nino with his headphones halfway to his ears.

"I'm here to be supportive for Mari, I don't care about the others!" he said honestly, like it should be obvious but Adrien shook his head, albeit with an entertained smirk.

"That's rude dude you can't just tune everyone out."

"Not everyone," he defended himself, "just whoever isn't Marinette."

Adrien gave up quickly, just chuckling as Alya took over berating him again. His eyes drifted back towards the ice, then towards the exterior walls of the room and he froze, catching sight of a few petite girls in ice skating dresses.

They were crowded by a door he assumed led to some sort of back room, peering out a little nervously at the gigantic crowd. They were incredibly far away but he had exceptional eyesight, especially when he was looking for something.

Adrien leaned forward in his seat, watching the flashes of color at the door until something a little darker and more subdued caught his eye and he gasped.

Marinette stepped out cautiously, looking around the other girls to stare wide eyed at everyone who had gathered. Her hair was done up in a high ponytail and he saw something flash like gold but even he couldn't make out what it was. Her dress was… elegant and graceful and beautiful and so very very her. He knew she was making it herself but _still_. She was so talented, it really blew him away…

But god did she look nervous.

Adrien felt something tighten in his chest as Marinette darted out of sight again, hiding from the crowd while she could. He remembered the first night, way long ago now when he had peaked over the edge of that building and caught sight of a graceful stranger. He remembered seeing her face and breaking the moment with an untimely gasp, and the chase across Paris to find her again. She had told him then that she couldn't skate in front of people, but here she was. About to go out in front of _hundreds_ of people, just cause he had been impulsive enough to show her a flyer.

He wasn't sure if the right words existed to make that better.

"D-do you think she's okay?" he blurted out, turning towards his friends again as they stared at him in confusion. "Marinette. She's always been so shy you don't think she's like… freaking out or anything right? I mean, she's super brave too, and amazing but- do you think she's alright?"

There was a space of time where neither of them answered, just glancing first at each other then back at him before Alya said, "She's get nervous but… she'll be alright. I'm sure once she's actually out there it will be fine, but uh…"

"Marinette's always been good about working herself into a panic," Nino said bluntly, Alya only able to nod in agreement.

Adrien clenched his teeth together, not at all soothed by their addition.

This was his fault.

Marinette sat very still on the bench in front of a line of dull shabby lockers as she listened to the muted roll of the piano singing the third piece.

She was alone, holding her old worn faded white skates and their near invisible cherry blossoms protectively against her stomach. When she closed her eyes she could picture how she might dance to this unfamiliar song but the thought soon sputtered and died, twisting back into an anxious mess when the music gave way to thunderous applause.

There were _so many people_.

But out of all those people, there was Adrien too.

She had to try, for herself for Cat Noir. She wasn't going to back down, she wasn't going to chicken out. Still though…

She held her skates a little tighter.

"Careful," a voice suddenly broke her thoughts and startling her, "don't want to crush the poor things."

Marinette's head snapped up, bells jingling in her hair as she spotted Cat Noir waltzing towards her from the far end of the locker room, and she breathed out a shaky sigh.

"You scared me," she chastised him weakly, already looking down again.

Cat Noir sat down next to her, positioning himself so that she might lay her head against him is she chose to.

"Didn't mean to," he answered, and she looked up again to examine his face, finding it tense.

"I was sort of expecting some lame pun," she chuckled, "you know. Like, 'I didn't take you for a scaredy cat' or something else."

He chuckled, looking down at her and saying with a smirk, "Nah, that's too easy."

She smiled back, finding it easy too even when she was so nervous, but she felt herself heat slightly when his eyes trailed up to her hair, his smirk blossoming into a delighted grin.

"Bells?" he asked, his face easing slightly from its tension as he reached out a gentle claw to make one of them chime.

"Well, I figured I'd say thank you somehow," she defended herself, laughing nervously as he continued to grin.

"There's nothing to thank," he said plainly, "it was a privilege to watch over you."

"Don't say that like it's all over," she surprised herself by saying, his head tilting cutely as he met her gaze. She smiled again, "The ice rinks will close soon but we can find something else to do."

His cat like green eyes blinked once in happy bewilderment before he was nodding, betraying his excitement that their meetups weren't canceled after all.

In the silence that fell over the building Marinette sighed, turning her head to listen to the fourth piano piece start.

"I've gotta survive this first though…" she muttered, cradling her skates again but stopping when she saw that same tenseness from before return to Cat's face.

"I feel like I pressured you into this," he blurted out, looking away from her shocked face as guilt swept over him. "I was so excited about you competing-"

"You _supported_ me!" she countered, trying to look at his face but he refused to lift his gaze from the floor. "Why would you think- that doesn't make sense Cat. I decided this myself."

She watched her words have no effect and chewed on her lip, wondering why he was blaming himself so thoroughly.

They were quiet for a while, neither of them looking at each other as they listened to the piano wind on through the fourth piece.

After a while Marinette toyed with her skates' laces, whispering, "I'm up next."

"You're going to be perfect," he said firmly, no doubt in his voice at all as he tilted her face in her direction, still not quite looking at her. "You'll be perfect, so don't be scared."

She laughed an airy laugh, and she could feel his eyes on her as she stared down at her ice skates.

"I was a little silly huh?" she murmured, the dull distant piano a constant background. "Just rushing into this to impress a boy…," she chuckled humorously, her confidence draining even more as time wore on.

"Forget him," Cat said, his tone surprisingly… urgent, enough so that she looked up at him, trying to decipher the look in his eyes. "Seriously," he pressed on, "just… that Adrien kid. He's making you this nervous? Is it even the crowd anymore?"

She backed up slightly, surprised by the tense line of questioning and feeling… flustered.

"I… it's hard to explain," she sighed, but he reached out, catching her face before she could turn away and making her gasp in surprise.

"Try," he said quietly, holding her face gently, "try and explain."

"I… I- he…" she tried to start but faltered when confronted with the intensity of his gaze. He needed something from this, and she had no idea what it was. So she took a deep breath, trying to forge on.

"I'm shy," she said plainly, "with him. Not other people really but… him. I've always been a klutz just some... stuttering mess that was just as likely to screw up a sentence as she was to trip over a trashcan. I- I just…"

She looked down and she felt his hand relax, letting her look away but not pulling back.

"He spoke so highly of ice skaters… and I guess… That's everything I had never been in front of him. Elegant, impressive. I didn't want to be the klutz I-… I wanted to be… graceful."

She felt the hand against her face start to shake slightly, but she was blushing so hard from her mortifying confession of sorts that she couldn't look up at him. If she had, she might have seen the conflict on his face. Because somewhere along the line Marinette had lost confidence in herself when it came to him… to Adrien. She didn't think she was…

She was _so much_.

Before he could say something though he heard the piano stop, and the thunderous cheers erupted again. Marinette took in a sharp breath, reaching up to pull his hand from her face.

"That means I'm up…"

"Marinette," he said suddenly, his words rushing together and surprising her as he caught her hand in his. "If I can prove to you that Adrien has never been anything but impressed by you would you not be scared?"

She stared, gaping at him as he leaned forward, eager for some kind of answer.

"W-what?" she tried, but he was rushing to explain himself as she stood, knowing she needed to start heading towards the exit.

"If I can prove it!" he said again, standing with her, "If I can prove to you without a shadow of a doubt that Adrien thinks the world of you could you show all those people what you showed me."

The applause continued its distant roar as Marinette stared up at him, having no idea what to say, but words slipping out anyways.

"How could you possibly prove that?"

Despite everything, all the nerves and guilt, Cat Noir managed an uneasy smirk.

"A change of music."

Cat Noir sprinted away, tearing through the deserted halls winding through the guts of the building and leaving a stunned Marinette gripping her skates behind. His heart hammered in his chest as he ran, the look on her face seared into his mind as he became that much more desperate to prove it, to prove to _everyone_ how amazing she was. He had to show her, and show the world… damn whatever came after.

His transformation unraveled on the fly, Plagg zipping forward at lightning speed to rot through the lock of a door before vanishing into Adrien's jacket, cackling happily at the exciting turn of events as Adrien was able to run back into the open space of the building unhindered. The second he was clear of the doors the sound of the crowd was deafening, something blue and waving from the ice making him sure that the ice skater was now leaving their spotlight. He only had so long, so many seconds before the ice was cleared of flowers thrown by overzealous admirers, only so long before the wrong song would start.

He must have looked mad, storming past the barriers and leaping onto the raised platform where the piano rested to confront that aging old man sifting through his music sheets.

"A-Adrien!" he exclaimed, recoiling slightly as Adrien fervently tried to explain. The words fell out of his mouth like an orchestra crashing to an unorganized halt, each note slamming into the next. The boy looked so urgent that he waved his hands, trying to get him to calm down so he might actually understand him.

"Marinette!" Adrien exclaimed, looking at his instructor. "The next girl performing is named Marinette she's my classmate and I-I wrote a song for her _that song,_ the one you helped me with. I have to play it, no one knows it but me it's the one she's meant to dance to today sir please."

The old man paused, taking in the earnest lad and recalling a song that that same boy had played once for him not all that long ago. Played from the heart, with a far off look in his eyes and smile he probably wasn't even aware of on his face.

He remembered that song.

"It's for her, huh?" the old man stated rather than asked, smiling slightly as he looked over his shoulder at a beautiful young girl who was slowly skating to the center of the ice. The crowd was starting to settle, preparing for the announcement that would start the next piece. The old man looked at his student again, and saw him bow his head.

"Y-yes sir… it's hers."

Silence was starting to fall, the girl posed perfectly all on her own out on the ice, a flash of gold in her hair… and the old man smiled as he rose from the bench.

"Sit then," he said calmly, taking the unneeded sheet music into his hands as he leaned towards a microphone expectantly.

"Thank you," Adrien murmured, taking his place in front of the piano and trying to steady himself with a long deep breath.

Marinette stood, her hands shaking slightly as she waited for the announcement that would allow her to begin. She could see so many people, hundreds of people whose eyes were trained solely on her… waiting too for something to begin.

When the voice finally started Marinette could feel her heart racing, the words echoing out and filling the building as all those hundreds of people heard an old dusty voice speak calmly as he had for all the dances before.

"Marinette Dupain-Cheng, performing to the original piece, 'Ice Flower'."

She froze, her breath catching in her throat as those words fell over her, piercing her like the ring of a bell in a silent building.

Her eyes slid over almost rigidly, falling on a gently smiling blonde boy just as the voice said,

"With guest accompanist , Adrien Agreste."


	7. Chapter 7

It was easiest to describe in terms familiar to the both of them, something that symbolized the completeness of the picture as it was presented to them all at once in front of a crowd of several thousand people.

It was like a bell falling to the ice.

The impact was hard, sudden, and chilling. The force was so sharp, you think the bell would dent or crack as it connected.

But it didn't.

It was like a bell falling from a great height, dropped from a boy's hand the moment he knew in his heart he wanted her to know. It fell from his grasp as soon as it was decided, falling earlier than even his most conscious choice, tumbling free the moment he peered over the edge of that building and looked out over the ice.

It turned and fell silently, each second the passing days where he became more and more sure of his choice. And then, all at once.

It connected.

And it rang.

For Marinette that's exactly how it seemed, because as she met Adrien's familiar green gaze from across the ice she could almost swear she heard it ring.

She was grateful that in her extreme shock everything slowed down, and it was almost as if for that one second she was stood still on that ice she relived thirty straight days as everything fell into place.

 _"If I can prove it! If I can prove to you without a shadow of a doubt that Adrien thinks the world of you could you show all those people what you showed me."_

She could see that in his eyes as the polite applause of the crowd reached her again and the intimacy of their moment was fleeting. She could see him saying ' _Show them.'_

Marinette was aware that the crowd had fallen silent, and she felt the absence of his eyes as he turned towards the piano. It was too fast, it was so… it was so much.

Because it was him. It was Cat Noir, it was Adrien. All along… every shy glance, every quiet night.

It had always been him.

However, even as she was frozen in place there was still something about the moment that was just the two of them. Even though thousands of people were gathered around, even though judges watched her every move, it was still just the two of them. Alone, in the silence of their nights, with only the sound of a piano to guide her.

So… even when his name weighed heavily on her mind, even when everything had come to light, ringing clearly like a bell in an empty room… she let it guide her.

She shifted her feet effortlessly across the glassy surface and extended her arms gently with the first notes of the song, knowing them as deeply as she knew herself. She danced, her eyes sliding closed like they might have if they were truly alone.

Maybe they were…

It was just like their practices in the early hours of morning, where it was still dark and the sounds of passing traffic were few and far between. The hours where the moon made the ice glow and the cold made her shiver. The hours where Cat Noir would sit on the barrier separating her stage from the rest of her world, bridging the gap between everything she had been before and everything she had become when she had danced for him for the first time.

Because that's what it was. For everyone to see, just as he had seen.

The first dance, spotted by a cat peering at a graceful stranger and transformed into the song that wrapped around her, keeping her warm as she danced blindly with no fear of faltering. She knew this dance, like the notes of the song. Cat's dance. Adrien's… dance.

Adrien played with all he had to offer. Every apology, every anxious wasted second, every desperate plea that she might forgive his recklessness… but so much else as well. Things more powerful, painting the bigger picture as he saw it. Every laugh, every joke, every midnight practice, each moment he spent in silent awe… and every note that filled the quiet, singing so that his admiration might be expressed.

He didn't have the words, never knew what to say or when to say it but… this was what he had to offer. This was his proof, and he gave it to her hoping she might understand.

Ha…

It was almost like it was so he might understand as well.

And so it was presented as one piece, a dance and its song so charged with confused and potent emotion that it was as if the air was pulled from the mouths of each and every spectator in the building. They could see it, in the curve of her back and in the swell of the music. Here were two people, each one so unsure of what to make of the other, still finding the strength in each other to move in absolute harmony. As the beautiful stranger spun on the ice and lifted one leg so that her blade might rend the sky apart in a tight and rapid turn, you could almost hear the awe of a boy… witnessing something perfect for the first time.

When Marinette broke the momentum of the turn her skate sent a flurry of frost dancing around her legs, her body posing perfectly still in a low and elegant bow just as the last note rang out across the ice. The frost clung to her skin like diamonds, her lips parting to release a cold and shaky breathe as the silence overtook her.

There was applause, but not like there had been before. When a dance was done people would cheer and shout, whistle or something else. Here people clapped, hard and earnestly, because clapping was the one thing they could do while crying.

There were so many tears, falling from faces and drifting lazily past smiles filled with pride for two people they didn't even know. For a second, thousands of people felt as if they were a part of this story, wound between an ice skater and a pianist in a silence filled only with song that felt private somehow. It was the dance yes… yes. But it was also the song. Both were beautiful, both were powerful, but never could the moment be as perfect as it was when they were shown together, just as they were meant to be. As the moment was perforated with the applause of the crowd, the spectators clapped faster and faster, clapping harder and letting giddy laughs slip past their guard as the applause became all at once more powerful than any of their voices could have made it.

Marinette opened her eyes and gaped at the crowd, looking at those closest to her and seeing them smile so genuinely to her… a stranger. She felt exposed slightly, like something personal had been witnessed by thousands but… they all stood, and they all clapped.

She turned automatically, the applause becoming deafening as her rapidly beating heart pounded in her chest. She found him easily, stood beside the piano and facing her with a stunning smile that seemed to come from two different people. It was the same smile filled with pride she had seen a thousand times from Cat Noir, waiting patiently for her to leave the ice so he could take her home. Now though, it was Adrien, still waiting patiently… ready to escort her home if she would let him.

She came back to herself, another shaky breath racking her body as she addressed the crowd, waving woodenly as she skated towards the gate that exited the ice. She tried to smile, tried to make it practiced and calm… but there was no more music to ease her, and she could feel the weight of his name. Her knees were skating as she stumbled past the gate, fumbling with the laces in a daze so that her skates clattered to the ground. She managed to sweep them up into her arms, cradling them like a life preserver as she sprinted towards the door. She shouldered them roughly aside as she sprinted towards the locker room, her heart still thumping as his name raced through her mind. She could hear herself thanking the other skaters as she passed them, forced to slow slightly so as not to be followed out of concern. She knew herself too well, could feel the oncoming shock so potently that she knew she needed privacy.

Because Cat Noir was Adrien Agreste.

She found herself at the same bench Cat had comforted her at just before she went up, the place luckily still deserted as she changed quickly, her breath coming faster and faster. She didn't pull the bells free from her hair, standing still before her open locker with glassy eyes as every emotion she had managed to dodge out on the ice came crashing down on her.

"Oh. My. GOD," she screamed shrilly, her face falling into her discarded skating dress in an attempt to muffle the sound, her screaming so sudden and shrill that the gently sleeping Tikki started awake with a frightened squeak. "WHFASHEWASHEFHINK" came the muffled raging from within the folds of the dress Tikki shaking from fright as she blinked sleepiness from her eyes.

"W-what!?" Tikki squeaked, "What's wrong!?"

"What was he THINKING!?" Marinette lifted her head to shout, pulling back with the dress still wrapped up in her arms as she started to rapidly pace back and forth. "What was he thinking!? Just switching everything around just- just TELLING ME THAT right when I was about to danc- what was he- uagh!" Marinette buried her face again as she vented her frustration, Tikki still completely lost as Marinette went through a variety of emotions.

"I-I can't believe that- the whole time! This entire time Tikki it's been him! Every night, every dance, every joke and worried frown and every hot chocolate and- and…" as she ranted she became more and more aware that her sudden outburst was almost completely thanks to shock, having been repressed throughout her performance. It was as knee jerk a reaction as screaming from fright or cursing from pain. Because when she started to ramble her voice became shakier, living through the past month just like she had on the ice, except now she saw him without the mask.

"Encouraging me, believing in me, cheering me on and pushing me forward and- and making those stupid jokes and p-playing that… song."

Her pacing slowed, Marinette eventually coming to a stop as their shared moment on the ice came back to her. Her heart was racing, her mind struggling to cope with such jarring information but…

He still played that song. He still _wrote_ that song. No matter how sudden and confusing and _insane_ everything was… it had still been Adrien out there with her.

She had asked what he could possibly be thinking… but she could picture it. She had seen that urgency in Cat just before he fled, begging her not to be afraid just because she knew Adrien would be watching her. She understood how frustrating that must have been, knowing that the person you had worked so hard to support was shaking with nerves because she didn't know the truth.

Marinette was still as she considered everything, trying to picture it from his perspective, trying to understand why he had…

Suddenly, she chuckled, the sound shaky and uncertain but still there. As unbelievable as it was… it was very like him. That impulsiveness. He wouldn't have been able to stand it… maybe she would have done the same thing, if she were in his shoes.

She clutched her dress close to her as she stared vacantly ahead of her, feeling small in the face of something so big.

Adrien… It had always been Adrien.

An electric shock shot down her spin and stole all her breath in a sharp, petrified gasp as she realized something else equally as overwhelming.

How the _hell_ was she going to tell him she was Ladybug?

She jumped with a shout when she heard the door open, Tikki zipping quickly out of sight just as someone slipped quietly into the room.

Adrien shut the door behind him, shooting a wary glance through the window in the door to make sure no one had seen him enter before slowly turning to face Marinette, the girl stood staring at him with wide doe eyes.

His chest felt tight as she stared at him and he felt truly exposed to her, everything out in the open so suddenly that it was like falling through the ice of a frozen lake. Cold, chilling, overwhelming… scary.

Out of everything he had imagined this reveal to be he had never pictured himself so afraid. Nervous yes but…

She faced him, a thousand things between the two of them, yet also nothing, the both of them confronted with the other in this impossible circumstance.

And neither of them had any idea what to say.

"S-so," Adrien's voice rattled out, sounding so young as he rubbed nervously at the back of his neck, "I-I realize that was a slightly dramatic way to… tell you."

"You think!?" she replied instantly, the exasperation in her voice making him chuckled nervously, the sound almost giddy. That was good, better than… done with him. Mad at him was better than done with him, he'd take mad.

She looked down at her hands, shrinking in slightly when he started to approach her so he stopped at a respectable distance, like he was trying to keep her from fleeing.

There was a space of silence, so he spoke again, his words running together.

"I-I know I shouldn't have, done it like that at least I just- Marinette you were so nervous. You were so afraid because of _me_ and I-I couldn't- I had to do something, anything at all just so you would know that it was me, that it was… Cat."

He hesitated to say the name like uttering it himself presented some sort of finality, like it really couldn't be denied anymore.

"I just didn't want you to feel like you were alone out there…" he said quietly, crossing his arms like he was shielding himself from the cold. "I'm sorry… I hope this is okay."

The word 'okay' hung between them as she slowly looked up at him, Adrien using all of his remaining nerve to meet her gaze. She was still shrunk in on herself, clutching her dress and staring at him in an overwhelmed stupor.

"It's… a lot." she said quietly.

Her response cut through him like a frozen gust of wind, his hands winding into fists that clutched his arms painfully. He clenched his teeth and looked down when she hurriedly said, "It's good! C-Adrien. I-," she stopped, taking a deep breath before saying, "This is okay. It's… okay, it's just…"

"What?" he couldn't help but ask, finding her pauses nerve wracking as he managed to look up at her again, needing her to continue, needing her to have the words he didn't.

She was silent for a second, looking down and away from him but stepping forward slightly, making a small effort to shorten the distance between them.

"Every time I pictured someone," she eventually started in a whisper, "… it was always a stranger, someone I had never met before. Of course I'd know them but, I-," she laughed, the small sound breaking up her words but still shaking slightly from her shock, "I just never imagined it could be someone I already knew."

Adrien watched her, carefully stepping forward and feeling hope spark in his heart when she didn't shy away. It was a powerful emotion, clenching his heart in a burning grip that just made it beat faster.

"I hope I live up to your imaginings," he said with a quiet chuckle, finding comfort in the flash of gold still nestled in her hair. "I guess you could call me preppy," he said with a smile, though she still looked at the ground.

"Yeah…" she muttered, her eyes looking like they were seeing something a million miles away, her mind somewhere else completely. Adrien waited nervously in the silence, stepping forward until he was directly in front of her. He could see her biting her lip, her expression anxious and uncertain. When he started to speak, they both found themselves talking over the other.

"Look I-"

"I have something to tell you," she blurted out, cutting him off and looking like she wanted to take back the words as soon as she had said them. She looked up at him, startled that he had been talking. "W-what? I'm sorry-"

"No!' he insisted immediately, "It was nothing what were you saying?"

The next beat of silence was more potently charged with uncertainty than when he had first entered the room and he had no idea why, his heart aching as she started to back up, a startled gasp escaping her when her back pressed up against the lockers.

"I have something I need to tell you," she said again, her voice small and quiet again, her eyes incapable of looking up at him. "But I have no idea how to do it…"

His expression was confused and nervous, wanting to close the gap between them but not knowing what to do.

"Well…" he tried to joke, an anxious smile on his face, "as far as dropping secrets go today I doubt it could match mine in flair for the dramatic."

To his shock, she laughed.

"You'd be surprised."

His brows furrowed in confusion, trying to imagine what could possibly be weighing so heavily on her mind all at once like this.

"What is it?"

When she didn't respond right away he shifted his feet impatiently, anxious to be able to help in some way. "You can tell me," he pressed.

"I know I can," she replied, the sentence seeming to hold some kind of implication he was missing, frustrating him.

To his surprise she suddenly turned to start grabbing things from her locker, packing the dress and skates away in a bag and holding it tightly against her. "This is the only way I can do this…" she tried to explain, still looking away from him, backing up towards the door.

His confusion grew even more, his tone slightly exasperated as he tried to understand.

"A-… are you going to run?" he asked, staring in anxious bewilderment as she pressed her back against the door, swinging it open so that one foot lay beyond the barrier.

She didn't deny it so he became convinced that was the case, taking a few steps forward to try and give him some sort of chance to catch her. He didn't understand, he had no idea what to do but she could see him approaching, worrying her lip with her teeth more and more until she blurted out in a tense voice,

"I'm Ladybug."

Adrien stopped, his arms out in front of him like he had been confronting a wild animal but now frozen stiffly in the air as he looked at her.

"What?" he said, flinching slightly when the full intensity of her blue eyes met his stare. It's like he had heard the words, but they didn't have meaning, didn't provide understanding.

She stared him down, a thousand emotions in her eyes as she exclaimed again, simply, "I'm Ladybug."

He blinked, once, a second time, his own voice coming out tense as he said, "W-…what?"

He could see the panic on her face, see the rigidity of her stance those last few seconds before she stuttered out in a high voice, "I-I'll see you later!"

And ran.

The door swung shut behind her as she sprinted away, the sound of it clicking shut announcing the utter silence Adrien suddenly found himself in, still completely frozen in place watching the spot where Marinette had been only a second before.

He heard it then, the words, like they had been delayed. Or rather he heard the meaning behind them, throwing abruptly into view two completely different people.

Who had the exact same eyes.

…

"What!?"

Ladybug had never raced through Paris quite so quickly before, adrenaline from her panic coursing through her as she abandoned the competition grounds.

" _Marinette!"_ Tikki chastised her from her earrings, " _You can't just_ _ **run away**_ _!"_

Ladybug didn't respond as she continued to flee like her life depended on it, it was only when Tikki shouted her name harshly into her mind for a second time that she said, "I-I just freaked out okay!"

" _You can't run from this!"_ Tikki continued, Ladybug yo-yoing over a crowded intersection. " _You told him! He told you! You_ _ **both know now.**_ **"**

"You think I haven't realized that yet!?" Ladybug responded sharply, her voice slightly hysterical, "I had to tell him but I just- I panicked!"

" _This is a GOOD THING,"_ Tikki insisted, Ladybug closing in on the bakery she was headed for, " _He's in love with you!"_

"Aah don't say that!" Ladybug groaned, shaking her head to try and clear it of the same realization she had had back in the locker room. Because she had seen such intense concern in his eyes, such intense care, something so passionate that she recognized it in Cat Noir. The way he had always looked at Ladybug, at her, every time he tried to win her heart with some foolish pick up line. She had seen it in Adrien, the boy she loved, and knew now the strange overwhelming un-nameable feeling she had every time Cat Noir landed on her balcony. All that confusion, all of it. It had been the two of them running around in circles.

Ladybug rolled as she landed on her roof, Tikki removing the transformation by force to fly into Marinette's face as she grabbed her hair and started to pace.

"You have to do something Marinette you can't just run from him!" Tikki demanded, waving her tiny arms desperately as Marinette walked rapidly back and forth before running to her hatch and fleeing into her room. "Marinette!" Tikki scolded again as her charge locked the hatch behind her, collapsing onto her bed and clutching a pillow to her face.

Marinette didn't answer her kwami, curling in on herself as she tried to come down from her intense panic, feeling like an idiot for running but having no idea what to do. Tikki was right, there was seriously no out running this, and she didn't _want_ to outrun it, she wanted to turn around and find him but-

Her scream of frustration was muted by the pillow, Tikki floating over-head and sighing. It was adorable really, the poor girl was so overwhelmed in the face of destined love that she could hardly deal with it, such a romantic story! Two souls finding each other all over again… except for the part where she ran like hell was at her heels instead of the love of her life. She was normally fairly rational, but she was always unpredictable when it came to Adrien.

Such a silly girl…

Tikki wasn't surprised in the slightest when not so much later something heavy landed on the roof. Marinette heard it as well and curled in even tighter, burning red in embarrassment when she heard Cat Noir call, "Marinette!"

She ignored him, clutching her blankets around her as she tried to pretend she hadn't just humiliated herself as he started shouting, "Marinette open this hatch _right now!_ "

She groaned, tugging a pillow over her ears as she could hear Cat pulling on the hatch in desperate bewilderment.

"We have to TALK ABOUT THIS!" he demanded, sounding just as flustered and confused as she was but determined not to just let her _hide under her covers_ and ignore it.

"Open this hatch!" he shouted again, his tone pleading now, "Please! Come on, we _seriously_ need to- to **figure this out**. So PLEASE let me in!"

She tried to hide her face again and she could hear him groan even through the barrier between them. "My Lady _please_ ," he tried again, but addressing her as Ladybug flustered them both so thoroughly that their frustrated groans were now in unison.

Cat grabbed the hatch again, looking down at Marinette as she buried herself and caught sight of the small, floating, red… well it could only be a kwami. Of course she would have one, she was… his heart skipped unevenly again.

"Excuse me!" he called, waving wildly at the small creature. "Kwami, I- I'm sorry I don't actually know your name!"

The little red creature floated up to the glass with a giggle, giving him a wave and saying, "I'm Tikki! Nice to meet you!"

"The pleasures mine!" he said in a rush, obviously distracted, "Please open this hatch Ms. Tikki please, clearly this needs to be discussed right?!"

"I agree with you," Tikki announced, giving him a sweet smile.

"Tikki don't!" Mari lifted her head to call out, catching Cat Noir's eye in the process and burning a fierce scarlet. For a second neither of them spoke, caught up in the insanity of everything.

"Princess," he said firmly, staring her down even if it made his chest feel tight to do so, "Open this hatch, please, or I will pay for the damages."

She blinked at him, furrowing her brow as she said, "Pay for the damages?" before she could see him raise his hand in a gesture she was very familiar with. She threw the blankets aside and shouted, "Don't you DARE use Cataclysm to get in here!"

"Then let me _in!"_

"No!"

He groaned again, throwing his hands in the air and rolling onto his back. He grabbed his head harshly in a vice like grip in an attempt to pull himself together, taking in deep breaths as he tried to calm down. It was hard too though, because even when in his initial shock he tried to deny it he couldn't. He couldn't do it, couldn't believe it was just some lie because, _it was true_. It had to be there-… there was no one else he wanted it to be.

And just _thinking_ that made him want to rot that stupid hatch away again.

He liked to think a pane of glass was the only thing separating the two of them right then… but he knew that wasn't true. He knew this was such a potent shock for both of them that if they didn't do _something_ -

He didn't even know what would happen. He didn't even know what _should_ happen, he just wanted her to let him in. What he would say once he was there was beyond him… he honestly had no idea how he could face her, face _Ladybug_ , **his** Ladybug, who had been the graceful skater all along. Been his sweet, earnest classmate just one seat back since the very beginning.

Every dance… every shy smile, every powerful grin. The weight against his shoulder as he played her song… the calming voice as they walked home through the streets of Paris.

And he felt that hot wash of too powerful emotion again that had him burying his face in his hands as he lay flat on his back…

Because there was no one else he wanted it to be.


	8. Chapter 8

Cat Noir lay flat on his back, being chilled through by the cool smoothness of the stone that made up Marinette's balcony. He listened carefully and could hear the sound of mindless flowing traffic, the soft chime of the bakery bell, and the muffled arguing between a girl and her kwami.

He couldn't quite make out the words, whether from their indecipherable nature or because of the fried processers of his brain he wasn't sure. What he would hear if he tried to listen was also beyond him, everything sort of was at that exact moment in time. He felt like he was in a gigantic tank at an aquarium that had been drained of all water, leaving him in a dim sealed space all on his own. He knew water was meant to be there, and some part of him feared the moment it all came crashing down because when it _did_ , he would almost certainly drown.

The water was flooding the aquarium now, and he felt like he was desperately trying to remember how to swim.

He sighed, sound passing his lips in a vague cry of distress because he had no idea how to fix this. He didn't know what to say, he didn't even know what he wanted to hear. What could he say? Why did something so good feel so bad?

That thought settled in, drawing out the seconds he lay still and did nothing as he considered that line of reasoning again. Something so good… because… it was good. That's how he felt at any rate, it was good. They knew. He was him and she was her and they knew. This balcony… this home… all those nights, whether spent skating or patrolling the city all that mattered is that all those nights were spent together. And all those school days… all those smiles in the halls.

What did he want?

He tried to think it through, sitting up and staring sightlessly at the still locked hatch.

What did he want to happen if and when that hatch opened?

He tried to imagine it, the simple glass pane lifting away and finally letting him enter. Letting him see her.

That's what he wanted, he supposed. He wanted to see her, and see her as _all_ of her. He wanted to look at her and know she was Ladybug, just like she had looked at him in the seclusion of that locker room and known he was Cat Noir.

He wanted to see all of her for the first time, and still feel that hot overwhelming feeling in his chest.

Cat Noir nodded once, purely for himself as his mind started to function again, planning. He had to get in, normally he would respect her privacy but this was extremely important and a unique circumstance… aaaand if he was _invited_ in it wasn't really trespassing at all. But there was no way she was going to let him in and Tikki seemed to have lost her battle, so that left…

He grinned slightly.

Hadn't Tom and Sabine always been so welcoming?

-...

"Marinette!" her father's voice echoed up to her, cutting in to her breakdown time. She lifted her head from the pillows slightly just in time to hear her father say, "Your friend Adrien is here to see you!"

She went stiff, wide blue eyes staring down into the lower level of her room as Tikki gasped adorably to her left.

"He didn't…" she whispered in disbelief, watching her stairs like a hawk as her heart pounded in her ears to the beat of approaching footsteps.

"He DID!" Tikki squealed in delight, giggling happily when the hatch in the floor opened and a sheepish Adrien popped his head in with a weak smile before clambering inside.

"Y-you used my parents!?" she cried indignantly, trying to find something to say and settling on something trivial.

Small though it was Adrien still laughed nervously, looking down at the ground.

"Well you didn't want me wrecking your ceiling so this was the next best option…" he defended himself lamely, finding actually being in her room slightly… terrifying.

The tension was so thick between them he wondered idly how he wasn't suffocating from it, his comparison to the flooding aquarium returning to mind.

Adrien stood stiffly directly next to the now closed hatch, the space of her room familiar but also entirely alien in this new and frightening context. He couldn't look at her, barely able to keep his place as the silence stretched on.

He flinched when he heard her move, any break in their silence jarring as she quietly moved down the steps to stand on the same level as him. And he still hadn't looked at her.

She didn't say anything, countless words on the ends of both of their tongues as they both looked away from each other. She examined the dust on the windowsill… he examined minute details of the floor.

And neither of them spoke… even though both of them had so much to say. That was probably the worst part for them both… they both had so much to say but no words with which to say them.

So slowly Adrien raised his gaze, action being his only aide in fixing… everything. Fixing the rift between him and the person that mattered the most, he could see that now. He could always see how much Ladybug mattered to him, always knew that… but then Marinette would smile out on the ice… skating backwards just to show off. And just like that she was so important too… and it had confused him.

Funny… how the most confusing thing had always made the most sense, because as he looked at her, just as she looked up at him… he could see all of her.

And that feeling did not fade.

Marinette gasped at the intensity she saw in his eyes, the green of them so deep and filled with… everything. So many things she couldn't even name… and then he had crossed the gap, for a moment so desperate to do _something_ that he abandoned his trepidation and just… held her.

That's the only way she could describe it. It wasn't quite a hug…

He just held her, and she swore she could feel her heart stop when he suddenly said, "I'm so happy it's you…"

To the side so as not to intrude Tikki and Plagg had quietly slipped away to hover over Marinette's desk together, the ancient powerful gods watching the scene with varying reactions. When Marinette's breath had left her and she looked up into Adrien's face, and when she choked up from how overwhelming everything was and just… held him too… Tikki smiled.

"Isn't it sweet Plagg?" Tikki sighed happily, her hands to her cheeks as the two awkward teens laughed and refused to part. The red kwami looked over at her scowling counterpart, saying, "They're in love! They're finally on the same page!"

"Same page?" Plagg scoffed, the sound warping into a laugh as he said, "In whose book!?"

"What do you mean?" she demanded, instantly irritated that, as usual, her partner was being pessimistic about something that was so clearly fantastic.

"The only one with all the cards here is pigtails," Plagg pointed out, scoffing again as the two teens giggled nervously and pulled apart, both red in the face and looking away from each other. "She knows everything now and Adrien is still left guessing."

"What are you talking about!?" Tikki huffed, whizzing over to get in Plagg's face a little in her passion. "They _love each other!_ "

Plagg rolled his bright green eyes and crossed his arms, somehow managing to float in the air even lazier then before. " _NO_ ," he countered, "he loves her and she knows that."

"And Marinette loves Adrien," Tikki stated harshly, thinking Plagg was just being simple again, but was surprised when he suddenly gestured wildly out towards the pair in the center of the room in frustration.

"And does he know that!? No, he does not." When Tikki just stared at him blankly he sighed and said, "Don't overestimate him, Ms. Smells-like-chocolate might have openly admitted to participating in the competition to impress him but his self-esteem is so low I guarantee you he's got no clue she's in love with him."

Tikki blinked, her tiny mouth open comically wide in disbelief until Plagg found the image so funny he was cackling aloud.

"There's no way he's that dense!" Tikki cried out, and Plagg was honestly impressed that Adrien hadn't heard, or maybe he had and he was ignoring it.

Plagg shrugged, grinning at his partner. "I've been with him for a while and trust me, he is."

"We have to tell him," Tikki said resolutely, surprising Plagg by looking like she was ready to storm off and do it right then.

"Woah woah woah!" Plagg shouted, grabbing her and holding her back, "Don't just go charging in there!"

"She won't do it on her own!" Tikki groaned, sagging into Plagg's arms and curling dramatically into him, at which he rolled his eyes. He worked with absolute drama queens. "She won't tell him her true feelings and everything will be ruined!"

Plagg was now the limp one, looking up at the ceiling as Tikki bawled into his chest looking like he'd much rather be doing something else besides consoling his sometimes emotional counterpart.

"You get so invested in these love stories," Plagg sighed, although he was probably just as invested this time around, not that he'd ever say as much.

As Tikki continued to talk, saying something like, "Well not everyone only feels emotions for pressed milk curds!" Plagg lolled his head around while he groaned, until he caught sight of something hanging on Marinette's wall. A lot of something's hanging from Marinette's wall actually.

Tikki looked up when Plagg's slow cackle started to build, concerned with the deviousness she heard there and freezing when she tracked his gaze to the slightly obsessive collage of Adrien photos on the wall.

"You think we should tell him?" Plagg laughed, "I know how to tell him."

Adrien stood in front of Marinette, their hold finally broken but they still stood close together. Neither of them had spoken for some time, but he felt the need to say again, "I'm happy it's you Marinette…" His eyes dropped to the floor, every action and shift in weight betraying his uncertainty. "I'm sorry I was so pushy and… urgent but I- I just wanted to see you and- I don't know… I don't know, I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry for running," she blurted out, the words so sudden and tense that he actually jumped. "I'm sorry for ditching you I was just so freaked out I-" her words were getting more and more crowded, her whole body tense and Adrien stared at her in wide eyed fright. "I was so afraid and freaked out and overwhelmed and I knew it would upset you and it would upset me too and I just wanted to stay but I _couldn't_ so I ran an-and I-I'm…" Adrien felt something akin to pain in his heart when he heard the wobble in her voice, like suddenly she might cry and all at once his hands were gripping her shoulders and he was speaking without thought, saying the first thing his heart wanted to.

"Ice Flower," he said urgently, cutting her off and demanding her attention with the old nickname, the nickname that became a song that became a dance and… so much more than all of that. The name that became a story that wasn't quite done. "Look at me, please."

When she didn't immediately comply he smiled softly, his tone slightly musical as he said, "Pleaase?"

She smiled a little back, but it was a little while more before she looked up into his eyes. Cat's eyes.

He grinned at her a moment before saying quietly, "I don't blame you for running. It was big and… scary. And I'm sorry, for putting you in such a tough spot, forcing you to deal with something like that on the fly. But…" his own gaze dropped, his smile still in place but gentle now. "We still made a good team right? Me and you?"

There was silence, well… relative silence, Plagg was making some kind of ruckus in the background, but after a while Marinette chuckled breathily.

"Yeah…"

"Yeah what?" he pressed, his smile widening a little when he spotted her rolling her eyes.

"Yeah we make a good team," she said again, laughing a little in exasperation, looking into his eyes for a second before looking away. It was hard to look at him and not see a mask, or look at herself and not see her suit. It was all out in the open now… it was all so… exposed.

It wasn't as awful as she thought it might be…

"Still could have done that better," she muttered under her breath, and he laughed, taking his hands back to cross his arms.

"Says Ms. Hero who ran for the hills."

"You said you didn't blame me!" she scoffed, amazed at the tense yet somehow genuine joking between them.

"Doesn't mean it wasn't a little ridiculous," he shot back, wanting her smile more than anything. It made things feel a little more normal.

However silence lapsed over them again and he fidgeted uncomfortably. This wasn't meant to be this way.

Adrien took a deep breath, and then reached forward to grab her shoulders again, slowly dragging her to sit down on the floor with him despite her protests. She squeaked as she plopped down and he bit back a grin, remembering something similar from all the times he would pull her down onto his piano bench to listen for a while.

"Okay," he finally spoke, his voice stupidly shaky but he forged on, staring into her deep blue eyes. "Ehem… alright. U-um-" he was losing confidence in his idea, he _knew_ she was going to make fun of him but he felt like this is what they needed. He swallowed before saying, "Hello Ms. My name is Adrien."

"What?" she asked, tilting her head but he held up a hand, asking without words for her to hear him out.

"Um, my name is Adrien Agreste. I go to Collège Françoise Dupont here in Paris and I'm fifteen years old." Marinette stared at him blankly, an entertained yet hesitant smile on her face when he added, "And, you might have heard of me, I also double my days as the superhero Cat Noir."

Just like that it clicked, and an embarrassed giggle slipped out as she looked down at the ground. She understood what he meant now, and it made sense. He wanted to meet her again.

"W-well," she tried to start, sighing and shaking her head when she heard him laugh before looking up into his face. "Well, Mr. Agreste," she played along, smiling slightly at his excited grin, "My name is Marinette Dupain-Cheng. As luck would have it," his grin widened, "I also go to Collège Françoise Dupont and am fifteen years old. And, you might have heard of me, I tend to spend my free time as the superhero of Paris, Ladybug."

His handsome face twisted into one of false consideration when he said, "Ladybug… Ladybug… mmm, nope. Never heard of you."

She snorted with laughter, reaching up to cover her mouth but he was already laughing at her.

"Alright so now I know if I ever _do_ hear of this Ladybug, she'll be snorting."

"Shut up!"

He chuckled, glad that she was smiling even if she was flushed. He continued with his game, grinning at her as he asked, "Okay Ms. Ladybug, tell me a little about yourself."

"A little about me? But I thought you had never heard of me, why would you care?" she teased, and it was remarkable as she watched it happen. She watched him smile at how she teased him, and could see him there. Could see Cat Noir. That's who it was… through all of this it was always Cat Noir, and it was always Adrien, with or without the mask. As silly as this little… roleplay was, she understood the point of it. They were meeting all of them, the Adrien that was also Cat Noir, and the Marinette that was also Ladybug.

"Well," Adrien said with all too familiar lilt in his voice, "someone as beautiful as you is bound to be just as interesting."

She gasped quietly at what would typically be a run of the mill line for Cat Noir, burning red at hearing something like that come from… Adrien… while she was still Marinette, but when she looked up she could see how red he was as well and ended up laughing.

"Silly Cat…" she found herself saying, just like she might have any other day, and the tense giggle that came from her counterpart just made her laugh again. He had been brave to try flirting again but it seemed to make him just as flustered now for some reason.

"A little about myself…" she said almost to herself, tilting her head in thought, "well… I suppose-"

She started to talk, Adrien leaning forward over his crossed legs as he listened intently. She shared things he knew, like her love for designing and sewing, and some things she never had to opportunity to share, like her love of animals and architecture. It was bizarre and she petered off into silence more than once, but each and every time he would gently encourage her to continue, a soft smile on his face.

It was one of those times where Adrien asked her another quiet question to get her to keep talking when they heard a strangled cry in the back of the room, behind where Adrien was sat. The super duo looked over to see Tikki smiling as innocently as possible, Plagg's face shoved into the desk as he writhed about wildly with several pieces of paper in his grasp.

"Uh… Tikki?" Marinette questioned, and although she had been looking at them Tikki pretended to notice them for the first time.

"Oh! Yes? What is it?"

"Is Plagg causing you trouble?" Adrien asked, looking on as Tikki continued to hold Plagg down with slight concern.

"No!" she squeaked, ripping some of the paper away and shoving them one by one behind the desk as Plagg yowled in fury, "No trouble! Don't you kids mind us, we're just playing! You keep on talking!"

" _Adrien!"_ Plagg called out, flailing even more dramatically than before, "YOU GOT TO SEE THIS!"

"No!" Tikki cut him off, grabbing the last piece of paper and flying off at top speed across the room, "You'll ruin everything!"

"Give it to me! Give it to me!" Plagg demanded, taking off after her, tackling her midair and sending the two of them bouncing off of Marinette's lounge.

"Tikki!" Marinette exclaimed, Adrien's consistent apologies making up a stream of background noise as Marinette started to stand, before suddenly Tikki appeared again waving dismissively.

"I'm alright! It's alright, really! You kids just keep talking!"

"Give it back you beetle!" Plagg screeched, before halting mid tackle and turning around with an evil grin. "There are more in here, you're gonna love it Adrien!"

"Plagg!" Tikki whined again, flying after him and tackling him to the ground while he swapped rapidly between cackling and hissing.

The kwamis were moving too rapidly for their charges to capture them, so while constantly looking over their shoulders in vague concern they continued to chat.

"Sorry about Plagg uh… just ignore him," Adrien said with a nervous laugh, fiddling with his collar and shooting a sharp glare behind him when he heard another hiss.

"He seems… lively," Marinette laughed, watching Tikki grab Plagg by the tail and pull him into the darkness beneath her desk.

"He's usually the laziest thing alive I have no idea what's gotten in to him," he sighed in response, shaking his head when he heard something crash.

"He's probably just excited to see Tikki, I'm sure they know each other."

"That would make some sense I guess… Uh, if he breaks anything I'll-"

"Don't worry about it! Uh… well Mr. Cat Noir," she tried to tease, and he grinned a little, "tell me a little about you."

"Weeell did I mention I'm a superhero?"

They continued to talk, finding it a little easier to maintain eye contact, at least whenever they weren't distracted by Plagg's wailing. At one point there was a loud _snap_ as something slammed shut, the teens looking over in time to see Tikki smiling sweetly from her place atop Marinette's diary case, which was now shut fast. After a moment they turned away, and Tikki whispered furiously through the lock.

"If you try and phase out I will shove you right back in!" she whisper-yelled, and the case thumped against the desk as he flew against its walls.

"EGH!" he groaned, until all at once all movement from inside ceased and all Tikki could hear was his slowly building cackle again.

"Well that's just fine! Luckily for me I can see in the dark!"

"Plagg what are-" but then suddenly he was reciting at the top of his lungs.

"FEBURARY 24TH, DEAR DIARY, TODAY ADRIEN BREATHED NEAR ME-"

Tikki screamed, and in a desperate need to silence him she shoved the container from the desk, sending it tumbling down and bouncing harshly across the floor. Both young teens jumped in surprise as the box skittered past them, Plagg shrieking inside. In the amount of time it took the box to stop and Tikki to fly over, Plagg managed to find another page.

"MARCH 13TH, DEAR DIARY TODAY I WAS GOING TO TRY AND ASK OUT-"

"STOOP!" Tikki squealed, phasing into the box and starting to wrestle wildly with the cat, Marinette shouting in surprise and sprinting over to unlock the box. As soon as she did the two kwamis were launched across the room, struggling with each other and throwing the diary out from the both of them and across the floor.

"Plagg!" Adrien shouted, exasperated and embarrassed that he was causing such a scene and standing to help Marinette as she ran after the kwamis, fighting to separate them.

Adrien was scowling when he ran over to pick up the discarded book that had fallen open, trying to apologize. "I'm so so sorry about this he's being- uh… unreal…" his voice trailed off but Marinette didn't notice, too distracted with keeping both Plagg in one spot and Tikki off of Plagg.

"Would you two settle down?! What is the problem!?" Marinette asked, already exhausted with the high pitched babbling from them both. Weren't they supposed to be super powerful gods, not squabbling children?

"I'm trying to help!" Plagg insisted, already falling into a giggling fit as Tikki fumed.

"No you weren't you were trying to ruin it!"

"You're the one who made it such a big deal!"

"Guys!" Marinette whined, holding one kwami each in her hands as she finally turned around. "Adrien can you lend me a h-" but she froze, pure horror rooting her to the spot.

Because Adrien was stood in the middle of her room, her open diary in his hands.

...

Adrien had been staring down at the girlish, loopy scrawl in silence, the words standing out and making him feel like the breath had been knocked out of him.

It was an entry for just two days before.

 _Dear Diary,_

 _So… the contest is going to be pretty soon. And to add even more to all this, last night during patrol Cat Noir told me he intended to reveal his identity to me. Well… Marinette I mean. And I basically told him that I was going to reveal my identity in response… well, he didn't know I meant him but… ugh. It's really complicated okay? So that's it, it's finally going to happen. I fought it so adamantly for so long, and even now I don't think I was wrong for that, it's what I needed to do. But a really long time ago Tikki said something like, "A confession? Is that what your heart is telling you?" and even then… it had been. I had wanted to tell Cat Noir, but I couldn't, I talked myself out of it. Now though, it's gotten much harder to, so much so that… I've decided to do it. I'm going to tell him. Things are different now, I can't deny that. Something changed and I have_ _ **no**_ _idea what… well that's sort of a lie. I think I know, but admitting it even here is… ugh. I_ _ **don't**_ _know that's the thing. I have no idea, all I know is thinking about how I won't see him like this anymore once the rinks close upsets me. Who would think right? I didn't see this coming, and I don't think he did either. I have no idea what he's thinking… and no idea what I want him to be thinking. Does that make any sense? What am I even talking about… even my diary is confusing now. I'm supposed to write all my inner most thoughts here right? So what am I thinking?_

 _I'm thinking I'm really nervous to perform in the contest… I wish Cat could be at the piano. Would that make things better? Or would I be even more nervous to perform for him_ _ **and**_ _Adrien?_

 _And when had there ever been an and there? When had it become Cat Noir_ _ **and**_ _Adrien?_

 _I'm in love with Adrien, just Adrien…_

 _Right?_

Adrien stared at the last two sentences like they had burned their way through his chest, rooting out that hot un-nameable feeling and overwhelming him, keeping him from moving even an inch. How many times had he said it? How many times had he said to himself that he was in love with Ladybug?

How many times did he almost say he was in… love… with Marinette? The words buried in the back of his heart, surging forward and confusing him every time the hatch opened on her balcony… 3:00 AM sharp, every night. Every time he passed her in the halls, every second he was comforting her in the locker room. He hadn't had the words then, lord knows he didn't have the words now… but there the words were. Written in a loopy girlish scrawl.

...

Adrien was aware of the silence once it fell, but couldn't look up from the book in his hands, the book he knew he shouldn't be reading. It was her diary, it was private and he had… but he hadn't meant to. It was just open. It was open… quite by chance… and he couldn't decide if it was his luck or hers.

He hoped it was hers.

So she was confident. She was playful and brave and funny… she had only been shy because… she had- she was-

And he was too. The word he couldn't say.

The thing though, that really kept him frozen there, that made tears prick at his eyes…

Was that it had said _Cat Noir_ _ **and**_ _Adrien._

In the end…

She had picked him twice… just like he had her.

...

He closed the book, the sound of the pages filing together the only one in the room. Plagg and Tikki had fallen silent, floating away from Marinette's now slack hold and looking on with the distance only great age could buy. And then there was Adrien, looking up at her with a closed diary in his hands.

He had very little time to fix this that he understood. From the look on her face it was like she had watched something impossibly precious slip between her fingers, like porcelain about to smash to the ground. Undoubtedly, if her feelings were as she said, it was scattered all throughout the journal and she was terrified that it had been seen. He could try and lie, but he didn't want to do that. He wanted it to be okay that he had seen it, he wanted to say it back… somehow. He only had until the silence was broken to have the right words, because he could see it in her eyes. She was going to run again if he didn't say it exactly right, and this time there would be no fixing it. She would be gone, regardless of if he ever saw or spoke to her again. Any chance they had would be gone.

He was never a man of words…

But he had to say it right.

...

Marinette looked so terrified… and also so sad, like just the act of an open diary had broken her heart. He hated it so much…

And he found himself speaking.

"Out of every single person I've ever met in my life there is no one I've cared for more than Ladybug, that's what I thought. And it's still true, in a way, or… I mean… I was out on a run. I was upset with my father I just wanted to be out of the house, and I didn't expect to see anyone out on the Trocodero's ice rink. I didn't expect you, I didn't expect to smile so much at 3:00 AM, I didn't expect to write a song and have that song be a dance and have that dance be… you."

There was a pause, and something in Marinette's expression changed, warping into disbelief, but the words were coming now and he couldn't stop them, spurred on by the kwamis' encouraging nods.

He took a deep breath, his voice cracking slightly.

"I didn't see this coming… I didn't expect Marinette when I already had Ladybug, I didn't expect to know all of you, even though it's what I had always hoped. But as soon as you said it there was no one else it could have ever been, no one else I _wanted_ it to be. Because it had to be you, a-and…"

He knew what he wanted to say. He knew, but that didn't make it easy, but then again, it was the easiest thing in the world. Cause he hadn't expected an _and_.

"I didn't expect to fall in love twice."

The sentence was physical, crossing the distance between them and shocking her, creating a spark in her eyes that changed them both. And he kept talking, looking her in the eye and giving them both the distance they needed to survive this.

"If you need to pretend I didn't say that to make it through this then I understand, if you don't want anything to change I get it, I know. I- I, just… needed… this. I just wanted… you to understand that it isn't… just… Ladybug. It's Marinette. It's you. And if we just pretend this never happened I get that… but please, more than anything… I just want to pick you up at 3:00 AM. I want to go to the ice rinks every night before they close, if that's something we can do. Please."

He would compare the moments before she spoke to the seconds between where they locked eyes out on the competition ice and when he first started playing. It was that tense encompassing second where he waited for the brass of the bell to shatter on the ice, and that second after where he breathed again, because it rang.

"I don't want to pretend…" she whispered, and that hot feeling in his chest blossomed and burned, flaring up like his hope had been fuel to the fire.

Those five words were so incredibly simple. She wasn't going to pretend. They were going to move forward knowing what he had read in the book, and knowing what he had said aloud. They were going to move forward.

When she stepped towards him it didn't feel intrusive, like she was entering his space or going too far. And when he stepped forward it wasn't jarring or unprovoked, but a direct response to what she was comfortable with. When she stopped so did he, and when she was more comfortable with closing the distance herself he let her. They were both… unsteady. Obviously quite a bit had happened in an incredibly short period of time, the most emotionally stressful hour of their lives to be certain.

She came to stand right against him, her hands on his chest and shaking ever so slightly. She couldn't look him in the eye, and when she started to look up he had a feeling she intended to go for… more. The very thought made his breath catch, his heart uneven, but he could see her hesitation, the fear. He knew what she wanted, but it was too sudden, too soon, and no matter how much he may have dreamed of it… no matter how much he himself wanted to tilt her face… close that gap…

He didn't.

He wrapped his arms around her and he could hear the shaky release of breath as she curled into him, berating herself silently for chickening out but also overwhelmed with her relief that he understood and didn't push it.

He held her, more intimately then he had ever been allowed and relished in her closeness, his heart skipping when she held him tight, burying her face into his chest.

He had forced her hand, revealing himself first and making her feel pressured into responding, regardless of if she intended to eventually or not. Her diary had fallen open, catching his eye and exposing her feelings before she had a chance to say them herself. In both instances she had been robbed of the opportunity to do things in a way she was comfortable with, in a way in which she felt like she had control.

From now on… every move would be hers. He never wanted to see that fear or uncertainty in her eyes again, never wanted her to be uncomfortable or doubt whatever it was they managed to make this. They would kiss when she was ready, he would ask her to dinner when she was comfortable. He was going to do it right.

She was far too important to do it any other way.

It was 3:00 AM exactly when Cat Noir landed on her balcony, and it was a lot less jarring in that instance then it might have ever been before to see Ladybug waiting for him, a pair of worn skates in her hands.

"I figured we could take the rooves now," she explained, her voice slightly timid but smiling genuinely at the sight of him. That nervous tension still existed, but for him a majority of his embarrassment came from what he held in his own hands, the flash of metal catching her eye.

"Are those skates?" she asked, her face lighting up and making his own burn. "Did you get skates?"

"W-well, uh…" he stuttered, bringing the plain black ice skates out in front of him, fidgeting nervously, "I figured… now I could have them, s-so… if that's okay…"

"Of course it is!" she interrupted him, smiling in such a blindingly beautiful way his breath left him entirely. "I can finally teach you!"

He found himself laughing, her sweet voice joining in for a moment before he remembered himself, gesturing out towards the city.

"T-to the Trocodero then?" he asked, and he grinned naturally when she nodded.

...

They were in no particular hurry, waltzing easily across the roof tiles and finding the courage to talk between the skips of their hearts.

"I got an earful from Alya," Ladybug started, drawing a chuckle from her partner.

"Oh I bet, you should have seen the text log I had from Nino he was _demanding_ to know what I was thinking, running up and playing for you like that."

"Alya was wondering the same thing," she laughed, shaking her head at the memory of the phone call she had answered not long after Adrien was forced to excuse himself. The joy of being an Agreste it would seem… apparently the event had been televised. The headline detailing the emotionally powerful song and dance half performed by Gabriel Agreste's song had caught fire fairly quickly and Adrien had some half-baked excuses to make up. "She had a lot of questions. Did you know he was going to do that? Where did he learn that song? How did you have a routine for that song ready to go? Where did you freaking go? Why did you force me to skid out on that ice and accept the trophy for you?"

Cat Noir choked on nothing in particular, sputtering out in a bark of laughter, "She had to accept the trophy!?"

Ladybug nodded with an amused smile on her face, not looking away from the path ahead as she made the jump between buildings.

"Yup, her and Nino went out there. He had more fun with it then she did, but still, she was not satisfied with the random answers I gave."

Cat rolled his eyes, shifting his hold on his skates to also make the jump.

"She probably senses a scoop, you know how she gets."

"Still," Ladybug admitted, "I feel a little bad about ditching the contest like that, especially since I won."

"We had other stuff going on," he said simply, the statement so hilariously underselling it that they both ended up laughing together.

"That's one way to put it," she agreed, trailing a little closer to him as they walked the long flat stretch of several joined apartment buildings. The back of her hand grazed his and he felt the connection like electricity, waiting until he was positive it was what she wanted before gently taking her hand.

He didn't need night vision to see the blush on her cheeks, but then again he didn't need it to see the soft smile either. To put it plainly he felt invincible, smiling like a fool all the way.

"They'll never let it rest you know," Cat warned her, the two of them working their way down to the ground level and linking hands again as they approached the rink.

"Oh I know," she sighed dramatically, shrugging her shoulders, "but what can we do?"

"Nothing right now at the very least," he replied, drawing her towards a bench next to the wall of the rink. He looked over his shoulder, canvasing the area and watching carefully as she de-transformed.

They swapped places, Marinette watching over him as he did the same, but still, seeing Marinette where Ladybug had once stood was… well it was surreal. However that grin she had when it came time for Adrien to lace up his skates was so entirely Ladybug, she might as well have never shed the spots.

"You'll want them tighter than that," she corrected gently, leaning over him to fix it. "It's safer, or else you might roll an ankle."

"My ankle? Don't tell me you plan on having me do flips or something," he whined, only joking a little.

She laughed, shaking her head as she pulled him unsteadily to his feet. "Just skating, nothing big. You said you can stay upright yeah?"

"I might have been exaggerating…" he mumbled, looking at the ice even more uncertain then before but it just made her giggle. The sound was stunning.

"I'll keep you safe Slippy Kitty," she teased, stepping fearlessly out onto the ice so she could support him. It was ridiculous how at home she was on the rink, her hand outstretched to welcome him in. he was convinced he was going to make a fool of himself, but that fear wasn't enough to stop him from taking it.

The first step was pretty alright, the second doubly as hazardous, but he seemed to keep forgetting how strong she was and she supported him effortlessly. He clung to her a little more desperately than he'd like to admit as they slowly moved out to the center of the ice, the process much more difficult with skates then it had been padding after her in his boots. However she never faltered, smiling sweetly at him as she gently informed the way he shifted his weight, teaching him how to stay balanced.

He made a vague noise of disapproval when she let go and moved away from him, skating off to the other side of the rink and gesturing for him to follow. He put down his sudden proficiency to pure stubbornness, his desire to make it to her again enough to spur him forward to close the distance. She giggled at how determined he was, skating out of reach each time he started to get close and encouraging him to come after her. Eventually this small exercise taught him how to move forward on his own and change direction, and soon (although a tad unsteadily) he was slowly skating along beside her. He made some sort of excuse, shrugging his shoulders and saying he'd feel much safer if they were holding hands, and she smiled, rolling her eyes but complying with a quiet laugh.

It was like she had promised, no flips or sudden turns, just slow skating around the perimeter of the rink as the heat of the others hand warmed their own. It was Adrien and Marinette, but it was still Ladybug and Cat Noir.

They chatted quietly, talking about this and that. Their friends, their school, patrols, the relative silence in akuma attacks recently. Standard things between the two of them, the usual contexts in which they discussed them blurring together.

They both knew what they had set in motion, from the gentle way he slid his thumb over the softness of her skin to the subtle pressure of her head against his shoulder as she quietly hummed his song for her.

He could feel it in the heat that sat in his chest, never moving, drawn to the girl at his side. She could hear it in the quiet of the ice and the silence of the night.

In the notes of their song.

They skated together, relishing in the quiet moment just before the bell would hit the ice… and smiled.

Because this time, they both could hear it ring.


End file.
